High performance battery backed ram interface

• US 6,804,763 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2000
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nelson, Dwayne R., Stockdale, James W., LeMay, Steven G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Ngoc V
• Application Number:
  US09/690,931
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 711/170, 711/165, 463/29, 463/36, 463/37, 463/38, 463/12, 463/13
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A disclosed gaming machine provides a gaming machine with a non-volatile memory storage device and gaming software that allows the dynamic allocation and de-allocation of memory locations in a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory storage devices interface to an industry standard peripheral component interface (PCI) bus commonly used in the computer industry allowing communication between a master gaming controller the non-volatile memory. The master gaming controller executes software for a non-volatile memory allocation system that enables the dynamic allocation and de-allocation of non-volatile memory locations. In addition, the non-volatile memory allocation system enables a non-volatile memory file system. With the non-volatile memory file system, critical data stored in the non-volatile memory may be accessed and modified using operating system utilities such as word processors, graphic utilities and compression utilities.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller for controlling one or more games played on the gaming machine, each game comprising;

receiving a wager on an outcome of the game;

determining an outcome for the game;

presenting the outcome for the game;

one or more input mechanisms for receiving cash or an indicia of credit for the wager;

one or more output mechanisms for outputting cash or an indicia of credit;

a non-volatile memory storage device that communicates with the master gaming controller wherein the non-volatile memory storage device stores critical data received from the master gaming controller; and

a non-volatile memory allocation system executed by the master gaming controller wherein the non-volatile memory allocation system dynamically allocates and de-allocates non-volatile memory locations in non-volatile memory located in the non-volatile memory storage device and wherein the non-volatile allocation system is operable for allowing the non-volatile memory locations where critical data is stored to vary over time.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said one or more devices are selected from the group consisting of a gaming system extension, an audio controller and a network controller.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory is selected from the group consisting of battery-backed SRAM and flash memory.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game played on the gaming machine is selected from the group consisting of video poker, video black jack, video pachinko, video slots, video pachinko and mechanical slots.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory stores between about 1 Megabytes and 32 Megabytes of data.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a main communication interface allowing communication with one or more devices located outside of the gaming machine.

7. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein said one or more devices located outside the gaming machine retrieve data stored in the non-volatile memory locations.

8. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the gaming machine is connected to at least one of a casino area network and a wide area progressive network through the main communication interface.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery having sufficient energy to power the non-volatile memory storage device for at least 4 years.

10. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the critical data is selected from the group consisting of game history information, security information, accounting information, player tracking information, wide area progressive information and game state information.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a non-volatile memory file system wherein memory locations in the non-volatile memory correspond to one or more files and one or more directories in the non-volatile memory file system.

12. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the one or more files contain critical data.

13. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein contents of the one or more files in the non-volatile memory file system are accessed using a least one of a word processor and a graphics utility program.

14. The gaming machine of claim 11, further comprising:

a main display connected to the gaming machine wherein the files and directories in the non-volatile memory file system are displayed on the main display.

15. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein information stored in the non-volatile memory locations is preserved by the power from a battery when the gaming machine loses power.

16. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory allocation system allocates one or memory locations as a block of memory.

17. The gaming machine of claim 16, wherein a number of memory locations allocated to the block of memory are changed.

18. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory storage device monitors a power supply voltage level.

19. The gaming machine of claim 18, wherein the non-volatile memory storage device limits access to the non-volatile memory when the power supply voltage level drops below a power supply cut-off voltage level.

20. A non-volatile memory storage device for storing critical data in a non-volatile memory on a gaming machine with a master gaming controller, the non-volatile memory storage device comprising:

an interface device that receives data signals from the master gaming controller in a first format and converts the data signals to one or more second formats different from said first format wherein the master gaming controller controls a game of chance played on the gaming machine and controls memory locations in the non-volatile memory storage device where critical data is stored;

a NV-RAM controller that receives data signals in said second format from the interface device and controls access to the non-volatile memory;

one more non-volatile memory chips comprising the non-volatile memory that receive data signals from the interface device in said second format and store the critical data contained in the data signals in one or more memory locations on said non-volatile memory chips; and

a battery that provides power to the NV-RAM controller wherein the non-volatile memory storage device is operable to store critical data received from the master gaming controller and to vary over time the non-volatile memory locations where critical data is stored.

21. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the battery is a lithium battery.

22. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the interface device is a PCI interface device.

23. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the non-volatile memory chips are selected from the group consisting of battery-backed RAM and flash memory.

24. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the non-volatile memory is comprised of about 8 non-volatile memory chips.

25. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the non-volatile memory is comprised of between 1 and 16 memory chips.

26. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the non-volatile memory stores between about 1 Megabytes and 32 Megabytes of critical data.

27. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the NV-RAM controller monitors a battery voltage level.

28. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 27, wherein the NV-RAM controller limits access to the non-volatile memory when the power supply voltage level drops below a power supply cut-off voltage level.

29. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 28, wherein the power cut-off voltage level is between about 4.25 Volts and 4.5 Volts.

30. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 27, wherein the NV-RAM controller selects a power supply source for the non-volatile memory according to the power supply voltage level.

31. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 30, wherein the NV-RAM controller selects a battery power supply source for the non-volatile memory when the power supply voltage level drops below a power supply cut-off voltage.

32. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the NV-RAM controller directs data contained in the data signals to one of the memory chips.

33. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein said first format for the data signals and said second format for the data signals includes a clock rate, a voltage level and a data bit width.

34. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 33, wherein the clock rate for the first format and the clock rate for the second format is at least about 10 MHz.

35. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 33, wherein the data bit width for the first format and the data bit width for the second format is between about 8 and 64 bits.

36. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the critical data is selected from the group consisting of game history information, security information, accounting information, player tracking information, wide area progressive information and game state information.

37. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 20, wherein the master gaming controller executes a non-volatile memory allocation system on the non-volatile memory.

38. The non-volatile memory storage device of claim 37, wherein the non-volatile memory allocation system dynamically allocates and de-allocates memory locations in the non-volatile memory.

39. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller for controlling one or more games played on the gaming machine each game comprising;

receiving a wager on an outcome of the game;

determining an outcome for the game;

presenting the outcome for the game;

one or more input mechanisms for receiving cash or an indicia of credit for the wager;

one or more output mechanisms for outputting cash or an indicia of credit;

a non-volatile memory storage device storing critical data during the play of the one or more games on the gaming machine;

gaming software comprising one or more clients executed by the master gaming controller; and

a non-volatile memory allocation system for allocating and for modifying non-volatile memory locations in the non-volatile memory storage device based upon function requests from the one or more clients wherein the non-volatile allocation system is operable for allowing the non-volatile memory locations where critical data is stored to vary over time.

40. The gaming machine of claim 39, wherein the clients are selected from the group consisting of a bank manager, a communication manager, a virtual player tracking unit, an event manager.

41. The gaming machine of claim 39, wherein the critical data is selected from the group consisting of game history information, security information, accounting information, player tracking information, wide area progressive information and game state information.

42. The gaming machine of claim 39, further comprising:

a non-volatile memory file system.

43. The gaming machine of claim 42, wherein files in the non-volatile memory file system contain critical data stored in the non-volatile memory locations.