Discovery service in a service-oriented gaming network environment

• US 20040242329A1
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gentles, Thomas A., Blackburn, Christopher W., Block, Rory L., Swamy, Vikram, Warkentin, Terry D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,308,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A gaming network includes a discovery service, gaming machines and services providers. The discovery service receives service information from the service providers and publishes the service information to gaming machines and other entities on the gaming network. The discovery service and service providers may be implemented as web services with a gaming services framework. The gaming services framework comprises a set of services, protocols, XML schemas, and methods for providing gaming system functionality in a distributed, network based architecture that includes gaming machines and servers. Systems and methods provide a service-oriented framework for gaming and property management based upon internetworking technology and web services concepts.

Claims

1. A method for providing a discovery service to gaming machines in a gaming network, the method comprising:

registering a discovery service on the gaming network;

receiving from a service provider communicably coupled to the gaming network a request to publish service information for the service;

processing one or more discovery requests between a gaming machine communicably coupled to the gaming network and the discovery service, said service requests conforming to an internetworking protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery service and the service provider comprise web services.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the service is specified according to a service description language.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the service description language is a Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request comprises a request for business information for all services on the gaming network provided by a business specified in the discovery request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request comprises a request to find a service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request comprises a request to provide binding information for a service specified in the discovery request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request comprises a request from a service provider to delete service information from the discovery service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request comprises a request for a technology model associated with a service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery request comprises a request to be notified of changes in the service provided by the service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the service provider.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the discovery service comprises registering the discovery service in a UDDI registry.

13. A gaming network system providing a discovery service, the gaming network system comprising:

a discovery service communicably coupled to a gaming network;

a service provider communicably coupled to the gaming network; and

at least one gaming machine communicably coupled to the gaming network;

wherein the discovery service is operable to;

register a discovery service on the gaming network;

receive from the service provider a request to publish service information for the service; and

process one or more discovery requests between a gaming machine communicably coupled to the gaming network and the discovery service, said service requests conforming to an internetworking protocol.

14. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery service and the service provider comprises web services.

15. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the service is specified according to a service description language.

16. The gaming network system of claim 15, wherein the service description language is a Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

17. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery request comprises a request for business information for all services on the gaming network provided by a business specified in the discovery request.

18. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery request comprises a request to find a service.

19. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery request comprises a request to provide binding information for a service specified in the discovery request.

20. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery request comprises a request from the service provider to delete service information from the discovery service.

21. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery request comprises a request for a technology model associated with a service.

22. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein the discovery request comprises a request to be notified of changes in the service provided by the service provider.

23. The gaming network system of claim 13, further comprising and authentication database communicably coupled to the gaming network and wherein the discovery service is further operable to authenticate the service provider using the authentication database.

24. The gaming network system of claim 13, wherein registering the discovery service comprises registering the discovery service in a UDDI registry.