System and method for remote rendering of content on an electronic gaming machine

• US 10,204,481 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nelson, Dwayne R., LeMay, Steven G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Wei
• Application Number:
  US15/285,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20170024951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A gaming system is described. The gaming system can include one or more host devices and EGM clients that communicate with one another over a network. Various non-gaming applications can be maintained on the host device. In response to a request received from an EGM client, a non-gaming application program can be executed on the host device. Content from the non-gaming application can be converted to a media stream that is sent to the EGM client for output. The media stream can be processed using a codec executed on the EGM. Input data associated with the content can be received at the EGM and sent to the host device. The content from the non-gaming application executed on the host can be adjusted in response to the input data received from the EGM.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

an input device;

a display device;

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 operate with said display device and said input device to;

(a) receive information relating to a gaming establishment account of a player, wherein the gaming establishment account includes personal data associated with a third-party non-gaming application program,

(b) receive a wager of an amount of credits on a play of a game,

(c) display the play of the game using a first portion of the display device,

(d) determine input device resources and display device resources to allocate to a media stream including an interface of the third-party non-gaming application program executed on a remote host,

(e) simultaneously with using the first portion of the display device to display the play of the game, via the allocated display device resources, display the media stream using a second portion of the display device, wherein the media stream includes at least a portion of the personal data associated with the third-party non-gaming application program,

(f) while the media stream is being displayed, receive input data from the allocated input device resources, and

(g) send the input data to the remote host, wherein a state of the interface of the third-party non-gaming application program is altered on the remote host and subsequently in the media stream in response to receiving the input data.

2. 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 a list of third-party non-gaming applications on a third portion of the display device that can be executed on and streamed by the remote host.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

receive a selection of a third-party non-gaming application from the list,

send information related to the selection to the remote host, and

subsequently receive a media stream including an interface for the selected third-party non-gaming application from the remote host to be displayed on a fourth portion of the display device.

4. 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:

generate a media signal associated with the play of the game,

combine the media signal associated with the play of game with the media stream, and

output the combined media signal to the display device.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, which includes a plurality of input devices including (i) an acceptor, and (ii) a cashout device, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices to:

if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

6. A gaming system server 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;

(a) receive information relating to a gaming establishment account of a player, wherein the gaming establishment account includes personal data associated with a third-party non-gaming application program,

(b) receive data associated with a placement of a wager of an amount of credits on a play of a game,

(c) cause a display device to display the play of the game using a first portion of the display device,

(d) determine input device resources and display device resources to allocate to a media stream including an interface of the third-party non-gaming application program executed on a remote host,

(e) simultaneously with using the first portion of the display device to display the play of the game, via the allocated display device resources, causing the display device to display the media stream using a second portion of the display device, wherein the media stream includes at least a portion of the personal data associated with the third-party non-gaming application program,

(f) while the media stream is being displayed, receive input data from the allocated input device resources, and

(g) send the input data to the remote host, wherein a state of the interface of the third-party non-gaming application program is altered on the remote host and subsequently in the media stream in response to receiving the input data.

7. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to display a list of third-party non-gaming applications on a third portion of the display device that can be executed on and streamed by the remote host.

8. The gaming system server of claim 7, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

receive a selection of a third-party non-gaming application from the list,

send information related to the selection to the remote host, and

subsequently receive a media stream including an interface for the selected third-party non-gaming application from the remote host to be displayed on a fourth portion of the display device.

9. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

generate a media signal associated with the play of the game,

combine the media signal associated with the play of game with the media stream, and

output the combined media signal to the display device.

10. The gaming system server of claim 6, wherein any determined award for the play of the game causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

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

(a) receiving information relating to a gaming establishment account of a player, wherein the gaming establishment account includes personal data associated with a third-party non-gaming application program,

(b) receiving a wager of an amount of credits on a play of a game,

(c) causing a display device to display the play of the game using a first portion of the display device,

(d) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to negotiate input device resources and display device resources to allocate to a media stream including an interface of the third-party non-gaming application program executed on a remote host,

(e) simultaneously with using the first portion of the display device to display the play of the game, via the allocated display device resources, causing the display device to display the media stream using a second portion of the display device, wherein the media stream includes at least a portion of the personal data associated with the third-party non-gaming application program,

(f) while the media stream is being displayed, receiving input data from the allocated input device resources, and

(g) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to send the input data to the remote host, wherein a state of the interface of the third-party non-gaming application program is altered on the remote host and subsequently in the media stream in response to receiving the input data.

12. The method of claim 11, which includes causing the display device to display a list of third-party non-gaming applications on a third portion of the display device that can be executed on and streamed by the remote host.

13. The method of claim 12, which includes:

receiving a selection of a third-party non-gaming application from the list,

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to send information related to the selection to the remote host, and

subsequently receiving a media stream including an interface for the selected third-party non-gaming application from the remote host to be displayed on a fourth portion of the display device.

14. The method of claim 11, which includes:

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate a media signal associated with the play of the game,

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to combine the media signal associated with the play of game with the media stream, and

causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to output the combined media signal to the display device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein any determined award for the play of the game causes an increase of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance.

16. The method of claim 11, which is executed through a data network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data network is an internet.