Method for expiring fault-tolerant timers using distributed locks

• US 9,733,664 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roxor Gaming Limited (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Gamesys, Ltd.
• Inventors: Graham, Phillip Jarlath, Watkins, Joshua Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Murray, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US14/086,072
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/10 Distribution of clock signals , e.g. skew
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1848 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1851 using multiple timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for fault-tolerant timers, such as in an online gaming environment. Fault-tolerant timers may, for example, be provided by implementing specific methods for expiring a timer, such as by utilizing broadcast notices and distributed locks.

Claims

1. A method of providing fault-tolerant, elastically scalable timers utilizing distributed timer system nodes, by expiring a timer having contextual information and established in response to a request from a client device, comprising:

broadcasting, by a primary node and to a plurality of secondary nodes, a notice to check for expired timers;

identifying, by at least a first one of the secondary nodes and in response to the broadcasting, an expired timer;

establishing, by the at least first one of the secondary nodes, a distributed lock for the expired timer;

removing, by the at least first one of the secondary nodes and from at least a second one of the secondary nodes, the expired timer associated with the distributed lock;

releasing, by the at least first one of the secondary nodes, the distributed lock on the expired timer; and

notifying, utilizing the contextual information of the expired timer, the client device of the expiration of the expired timer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the notice to check for the expired timer to the plurality of secondary nodes includes sending a message to each of the secondary nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the distributed lock for the expired timer includes creating or obtaining the distributed lock.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least first one of the secondary nodes comprises a plurality of the nodes from the plurality of secondary nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of secondary nodes are adapted to verify that the expired timers do not have an existing lock before attempting to remove the expired timer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the broadcasting is further conducted by one or more of the secondary nodes.