Coordinating access to wagering game machine windows

• US 9,466,182 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Buchholz, Dale R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US13/778,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Systems and methods coordinate requests to display content on one or more windows of a display screen of a wagering game machine. A display control process determines whether or not to honor a request to display content in accordance with an owner status of a window, a lock status of the window, a lock status of the wagering game machine, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of a wagering game machine configured to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, a request to load digital content for a user interface window displayed on an electronic display of the wagering game machine, the request received from a service host computer of a plurality of service host computers configured to transmit requests to the user interface window via a network communicably coupling the plurality of service host computers to the wagering game machine;

determining by one or more processors if the service host computer issuing the request is configured as one of an owner of the user interface window or a guest host of the user interface window, wherein the owner of the user interface window is provided priority access to the user interface window over the guest host of the user interface window; and

in response to determining that the service host computer issuing the request is the owner of the user interface window, loading the digital content for display on the user interface window.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

determining if sufficient resources associated with the owner are available on the wagering game machine to process the request; and

in response to determining that there are not sufficient resources, rejecting the request.

3. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

in response to determining that the service host computer issuing the request is not the owner or the guest host of the user interface window, rejecting the request.

4. The method of claim 3, and further comprising:

determining if sufficient resources associated with the guest host are available on the wagering game machine to process the request; and

in response to determining that there are not sufficient resources, rejecting the request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining from a queue a request from the guest host to lock the user interface window;

locking the user interface window;

transmitting a message to the guest host indicating the request was successful;

in response to receiving the request to load the digital content for the user interface window, determining whether the user interface window continues to be locked by the guest host; and

in response to determining that the user interface window continues to be locked by the guest host, displaying the digital content.

6. The method of claim 5, and further comprising setting a timer in response to locking the user interface window;

wherein determining that the user interface window continues to be locked includes determining that the timer has not expired.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the queue is a FIFO (First In, First Out) queue.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein obtaining the request from the queue includes obtaining the request in accordance with a priority associated with the request.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions, that when executed, cause one or more processors of a wagering game machine configured to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of the wagering game machine, a request to load digital content for a user interface window displayed on an electronic display of the wagering game machine, the request received from a service host computer of a plurality of service host computers configured to send requests to the user interface window via a network communicably coupling the plurality of service host computers to the wagering game machine;

determining by the one or more processors if the service host computer issuing the request is configured as an owner of the user interface window or a guest host of the user interface window, wherein the owner of the user interface window is provided priority access to the user interface window over the guest host of the user interface window; and

in response to determining that the service host computer issuing the request is the owner of the user interface window, loading the digital content for display on the user interface window.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining if sufficient resources associated with the owner are available on the wagering game machine to process the request; and

in response to determining that there are not sufficient resources, rejecting the request.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to determining that the service host computer issuing the request is not the owner or the guest host of the user interface window, rejecting the request.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining if sufficient resources associated with the guest host are available on the wagering game machine to process the request; and

in response to determining that there are not sufficient resources, rejecting the request.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining from a queue a request from the guest host to lock the wagering game machine;

requesting the wagering game machine to lock;

receiving digital content from the guest host;

determining if the wagering game machine remains locked by the guest host; and

in response to determining that the wagering game machine continues to be locked by the guest host, displaying the digital content.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13,

wherein the operations further comprise setting a timer in response to locking the wagering game machine;

and

wherein determining that the wagering game machine continues to be locked includes determining that the timer has not expired.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the queue is a FIFO (First In, First Out) queue.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein obtaining the request from the queue includes obtaining the request in accordance with a priority associated with the request.

17. A wagering game machine comprising:

one or more processors configured to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

a network interface; and

a display controller executable by the one or more processors and configured to;

receive, via the network interface, a request to load digital content for a user interface window displayed on an electronic display of the wagering game machine, the request received from a service host computer of a plurality of service computers configured to send requests to the user interface window via a network communicably coupling the plurality of service host computers to the wagering game machine,

determine if the service host computer issuing the request is configured as an owner of the user interface window or a guest host of the user interface window, wherein the owner of the user interface window is provided priority access to the user interface window over the guest host of the user interface window, and

in response to determining that the service host computer issuing the request is the owner of the window, load the digital content for display on the user interface window.

18. The wagering game machine of claim 17, wherein the display controller is further configured to:

determine if sufficient resources associated with the owner are available on the wagering game machine to process the request; and

reject the request in response to determining that there are not sufficient resources.

19. The wagering game machine of claim 17, wherein the display controller is further configured to:

reject the request in response to determining that the service host computer issuing the request is not the owner or the guest host of the user interface window.

20. The wagering game machine of claim 19, wherein the display controller is further configured to:

determine if sufficient resources associated with the guest host are available on the wagering game machine to process the request; and

reject the request in response to determining that there are not sufficient resources.