METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR A DOWNLOADABLE FINANCIAL TRANSACTION PRINTER

• US 20100017318A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Futurelogic Incorporated (Japan Cash Machine Company Limited)
• Inventors: Hilbert, John
• Application Number:
  US12/374,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017318A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1296 Printer job scheduling or printer resource handling
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1801 Input data handling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/206 Software aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

Method and apparatus for a downloadable financial transaction printer supporting multiple interfaces and single encoding for worldwide languages configuration. The financial transaction printer interfaces with multiple host systems and multiple gaming machine protocols, downloads application code or code patches, receives printer maintenance instructions, arbitrates print jobs received from various communication interfaces, supports worldwide languages, and utilizes firmware version consolidation whereby fewer firmware versions are required to support worldwide requirements, such as regional and jurisdictional requirements. The financial transaction printer further includes security features for gaming regulatory requirements, memory protection, and preventing the execution of downloaded code on unauthorized hardware. The financial transaction printer further includes segmented memory for content related to each communication interface, gaming machine, or host system, among others. Additionally, the financial transaction printer supports Unicode, configuration to worldwide languages, configuration to multiple protocols, and configuration to prior firmware versions for backward compatibility, among others.

Claims

1. A financial transaction printer comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of communication interfaces coupled to the processor for coupling the financial transaction printer to one or more host systems; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a plurality of operating system data environments,

wherein the processor context switches from a first operating system data environment of the plurality of operating system environments to a second operating system data environment of the plurality of operating system data environments based upon a network layer of a host system coupled to the financial transaction printer by one of the communication interfaces of the plurality of communication interfaces.

2. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the context switching is performed on the basis of monitoring a layer of a communication interface coupled to a host system.

3. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the context switching is performed on the basis of time slicing.

4. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the context switching is performed on the basis of event detection.

5. The financial transaction printer of claim 4, wherein the consolidated firmware includes portions for supporting a plurality languages.

6. The financial transaction printer of claim 4, wherein the consolidated firmware includes portions for supporting regional requirements.

7. The financial transaction printer of claim 4, wherein the consolidated firmware includes portions for supporting jurisdictional requirements.

8. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein a security attribute for regulatory requirements is used to separate and segment the firmware for each communication interface to the financial transaction printer.

9. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein a security attribute is used to protect the financial transaction printer memory and portions thereof from unauthorized reading or writing.

10. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein a security attribute is used to prevent the execution of downloaded code on unauthorized hardware.

11. The financial transaction printer of claim 1 wherein the memory is segmented, the segments comprising:

a segment for gaming machine content including machine implementation information and application code;

a segment for coupon information including promotion implementation information, application code, mapping to ticket files, coupon files, printer regions, and promotion code patches;

a segment for host system content including implementation information, application code, and mapping to ticket files, coupon files, printer regions, and code patches;

a segment for mapping to a main communication interface, the main communication interface mapping including identifying the gaming machine connected to the communication interface, mapping ticket files, mapping coupon files, downloaded gaming application code, downloaded promotion application code, templates, and code patches, and maintenance functions;

a segment for mapping to a secondary communication interface, the secondary communication interface mapping including identifying the host machine connected to the communication interface, mapping ticket files, mapping coupon files, downloaded gaming application code, downloaded promotion application code, templates, and code patches, and maintenance functions; and

a segment for mapping to an auxiliary communication interface, the auxiliary communication interface mapping may further including downloaded gaming application code, downloaded promotion application code, templates, and code patches, and maintenance functions.

12. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the communication interface coupled to a host system is constructed to interface to one or more host systems using one or more host systems protocols.

13. The financial transaction printer of claim 12, wherein the communication interface coupled to a host system is further constructed to detect a host system communication interface and automatically detect and connect using a corresponding host protocol.

15. The financial transaction printer of claims 12 and 13, wherein the host protocol is selected from a group including RS232, EPI, and Ethernet.

16. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the communication interface coupled to a host system is constructed to interface to one or more gaming machines using one or more gaming machine protocols.

17. The financial transaction printer of claim 16, wherein the communication interface coupled to a host system is further constructed to detect a gaming machine communication interface and automatically detect and connect using a corresponding gaming machine protocol.

18. The financial transaction printer of claim 16 or 17, wherein the gaming machine protocol is selected from the group comprising USB, RS232, Netplex, and GSA.

19. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to download application code from one or more host systems, the application code selected from a group including code for host system applications, code for gaming applications, code for promotional applications, and application code patches.

20. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to download application code from one or more gaming machines, the application code selected from the group including code from gaming applications, promotional applications, and application code patches.

21. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to support multiple worldwide languages and to detect which worldwide language is in use.

22. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to support multiple worldwide regions and to detect in which worldwide region the financial transaction printer is being utilized.

23. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to support multiple worldwide jurisdictions and to detect in which worldwide jurisdiction the financial transaction printer is being utilized.

24. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to support Unicode.

25. The financial transaction printer of claim 24, wherein the processor is further constructed to print Unicode and other character transformation formats.

26. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to receive configuration data related to one or more specified countries, regions, and jurisdictions.

27. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to accept initial game configuration of multiple variations in one data packet.

28. The financial transaction printer of claim 1, wherein the processor is further constructed to arbitrate print jobs for gaming voucher data received from a main communication interface and promotional data from a secondary communication interface.