Remote content management and resource sharing on a gaming machine and method of implementing same

• US 9,959,702 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Little, William C., De Waal, Daniel J., Manfredi, Vincent S., Bullard, Bryan E., Iddings, Cara L., Schneider, Richard J., LeMay, Steven G., Beaulieu, Nichole M., Gipp, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): GARNER, WERNER G
• Application Number:
  US14/677,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20150213674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system including a number of host devices each coupled to one or more gaming machines, wherein content provided by the host device is output on the gaming machine. To output the content provided by the remote host, a host-controlled process that is authenticated by the gaming machine and executed in a secure memory location such that it is isolated from other processes executing on the gaming machine may be utilized. The host-controlled processes may be decoupled from the process used to execute the game of chance played on the gaming machine such that the content output by the host-controlled process doesn'"'"'t alter the play of game of chance.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

for a wagered on play of a game;

determine a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes,

cause the at least one display device to display, in a game window controlled by the at least one processor, the determined game outcome,

determine any award associated with the displayed game outcome, and

cause the at least one display device to display any determined award associated with the displayed game outcome,

responsive to a determination occurring, based at least in part on a usage of the at least one processor which determines the game outcome and causes the display, in the game window, of the determined game outcome to allocate control of a first resource of the at least one display device to a remote host which is distinct from the at least one processor and following an allocation of control of the first resource of the at least one display device to the remote host, cause a generation of a lottery ticket responsive to an input to obtain at least one lottery ticket being received in association with a service window controlled by the remote host executing remote host software, and

responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the input to obtain the at least one lottery ticket includes an input to purchase the at least one lottery ticket.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause the generation of the lottery ticket by causing a printer to print the lottery ticket.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the printer is supported by the housing.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause a display, in the service window controlled by the remote host, of a virtual lottery machine.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display, via the service window, a plurality of selections associated with obtaining the at least one lottery ticket.

7. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

for a wagered on play of a game;

determine a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes,

cause a display, via at least one display device and in a game window controlled by the at least one processor, of the determined game outcome,

determine any award associated with the displayed game outcome, and

cause a display, via the at least one display device, of any determined award associated with the displayed game outcome, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the displayed game outcome, and said credit balance is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance is decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance,

determine, based at least in part on a usage of the at least one processor which determines the game outcome and causes the display, in the game window, of the determined game outcome whether to allocate control of a first resource of the at least one display device to a service window controlled by a remote host which is distinct from the at least one processor and which executes remote host software, and

responsive to the determination being to allocate control of the first resource of the at least one display device to the service window controlled by the remote host, and following an allocation of control of the first resource of the at least one display device to the remote host, cause a generation of a lottery ticket responsive to an input to obtain at least one lottery ticket being received in association with the service window.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the input to obtain the at least one lottery ticket includes an input to purchase the at least one lottery ticket.

9. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause the generation of the lottery ticket by causing a printer to print the lottery ticket.

10. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause a display, in the service window, of a virtual lottery machine.

11. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display, via the service window, a plurality of selections associated with obtaining the at least one lottery ticket.

12. The gaming system of claim 7, which transmits and receives data over a data network.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the data network is an internet.

14. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

for a wagered on play of a game;

determining, by at least one processor, a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes,

causing a display, via at least one display device and in a game window controlled by the at least one processor, of the determined game outcome,

determining, by the at least one processor, any award associated with the displayed game outcome, and

causing a display, via the at least one display device, of any determined award associated with the displayed game outcome, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the displayed game outcome, and said credit balance is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance is decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance, and

responsive to a determination occurring, based at least in part on a usage of the at least one processor which determines the game outcome and causes the display, in the game window, of the determined game outcome, to allocate control of a first resource of the at least one display device to a remote host which is distinct from the at least one processor, and following an allocation of control of the first resource of the at least one display device to the remote host, causing a generation of a lottery ticket responsive to an input to obtain at least one lottery ticket being received in association with a service window controlled by the remote host executing remote host software.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the input to obtain the at least one lottery ticket includes an input to purchase the at least one lottery ticket.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein causing the generation of the lottery ticket comprises causing a printer to print the lottery ticket.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing the at least one display device to cause a display, in the service window controlled by the remote host, of a virtual lottery machine.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing the at least one display device to display, via the service window, a plurality of selections associated with obtaining the at least one lottery ticket.

19. The method of claim 14, which is provided through a data network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the data network is an internet.