Systems and methods for out-of-band gaming machine management

• US 9,005,034 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: McAllister, Lawrence, Singh, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US12/113,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20090275395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,540 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/29, 463/42, 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

Gaming machines may be remotely accessed by a gaming machine management server. The gaming machine management server may access a respective gaming machine while the respective gaming machine is powered off. The gaming machine management server may access a respective gaming machine while the respective gaming machine is powered on and concurrently while an operating system of the respective gaming machine is being executed.

Claims

1. An electronic gaming machine, comprising:

a core processor electrically powered by a power supply when the electronic gaming machine is in a powered on state and electrically unpowered when the electronic gaming machine is in a powered off state, the core processor executes an operating system while in the powered on state;

a first writeable memory in communication with the core processor and having instructions stored therein that cause the core processor to execute a game title on the operating system of the electronic gaming machine;

a remote management controller electrically powered by the power supply when the electronic gaming machine is in the powered off state or the powered on state, wherein the remote management controller provides a gaming machine management server remote access via an input/output (I/O) controller to the first writeable memory, a storage device, and a non-volatile second writeable memory in the electronic gaming machine using an in-band channel and an out-of-band channel when the electronic gaming machine is in the powered on state, and provides the gaming machine management server remote access via the I/O controller to read and write data to the storage device or the non-volatile memory in the electronic gaming machine using only the out-of-band channel when the electronic gaming machine is in the powered off state or when the core processor of the electronic gaming machine is unable to execute the operating system; and

an unalterable memory storing a boot up procedure that is executable by the electronic gaming machine.

2. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1:

wherein the non-volatile second writeable memory stores data indicative of a number of event logs; and

wherein the remote management controller provides, via the I/O controller, the data indicative of the number of event logs over the out-of-band channel to the gaming machine management server.

3. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1:

wherein the non-volatile second writeable memory stores data indicative of authentication information; and

wherein the remote management controller provides, via the I/O controller, the data indicative of the authentication information over the out-of-band channel to the gaming machine management server.

4. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1:

wherein the non-volatile second writeable memory stores data indicative of an indicator of at least one software title stored in the first writeable memory; and

wherein the remote management controller provides, via the I/O controller, the data indicative of the indicator of the at least one software title over the out-of-band channel to the gaming machine management server.

5. A method of managing a plurality of remote gaming machines, comprising:

configuring, by a respective remote management controller in each of the plurality of remote gaming machines, read and write access to a non-volatile writeable memory, a storage device, and a non-volatile second writeable memory in the respective remote gaming machine using both an in-band channel and an out-of-band channel when power is provided by a power supply to the core processor in the respective remote gaming machine;

configuring, by the respective remote management controller in each of the plurality of remote gaming machines, read and write access to the storage device and the non-volatile second writeable memory in the respective remote gaming machine using only an out-of-band channel when power provided by the power supply is interrupted to the core processor in the respective gaming machine or the core processor in the respective gaming machine does not execute any operating system;

configuring each respective remote gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines to have a respective unalterable boot up; and

communicating to a remote gaming management server via the respective remote management controller in each of the plurality of gaming machines at least one of;

asset management data, authentication data and diagnostic data using the out-of-band channel regardless of whether the core processor in each of the respective gaming machines is powered or executes an operating system;

providing, via the respective remote management controller in the remote gaming machine, read and write access to the non-volatile second writeable memory of the respective remote gaming machine using the out-of-band channel at least while power to the core processor in the respective remote gaming machine is interrupted or the core processor in the respective gaming machine does not execute any operating system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein providing, via the respective remote management controller in a remote gaming machine, read and write access to the respective non-volatile second writeable memory of the respective remote gaming machine further includes:

reading data indicative of an asset indicator of at least one respective asset that is stored in the non-volatile second writeable memory of the respective remote gaming machine.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

managing a portfolio of assets based at least on asset indicators read from each of the plurality of remote gaming machines.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein managing a portfolio of assets further includes:

determining a total number of the plurality of remote gaming machines which include a respective asset, wherein a respective license for the respective asset is included in the portfolio of assets.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein providing, via the respective remote management controller in a remote gaming machine, read and write access to the respective non-volatile second writeable memory of the remote gaming machine further includes:

reading data indicative of a software title indicator of at least one respective software title stored in the respective non-volatile second writeable memory of the respective remote gaming machine.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

managing a portfolio of licenses for software titles based at least on software title indicators read from each of the plurality of remote gaming machines.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein managing a portfolio of licenses for software titles further includes:

determining a total number of the plurality of remote gaming machines which store a respective software title, wherein a respective license for the respective software title is included in the portfolio of software titles.

12. The method of claim 5 wherein providing, via the respective remote management controller in a remote gaming machine, read and write access to the respective non-volatile second writeable memory of the remote gaming machine further includes:

reading data indicative of an event log for the respective gaming machine that is stored in the non-volatile second writeable memory while the core processor of the respective gaming machine receives power provided by the power supply and concurrently while the core processor of the respective remote gaming machine is not executing any operating system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

loading, from the remote gaming management server via the remote management controller in the respective remote gaming machine, a repair image to the non-volatile writeable memory to the respective remote gaming machine; and

initiating a reboot of the core processor in the respective gaming machine.

14. The method of claim 5 wherein providing, via the respective remote management controller in a remote gaming machine, read and write access to the respective non-volatile second writeable memory of the remote gaming machine further includes:

reading data indicative of diagnostic indicator stored in the non-volatile second writeable memory of the respective remote gaming machine while power to the core processor of the respective remote gaming machine is interrupted.

15. The method of claim 5 wherein providing, via the respective remote management controller in a remote gaming machine, read and write access to the respective non-volatile second writeable memory of the remote gaming machine further includes:

reading data indicative of an authentication indicator for the respective remote gaming machine while power to the core processor of the remote gaming machine is interrupted.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

verifying the authentication indicator for the respective gaming machine.