Communication protocol for gaming system configuration

• US 6,884,174 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Olson, Garret, Lundy, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/183,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20040002383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 22, 463/25, 463/24, 463 40- 42, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/143.R
• 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: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for communicating gaming machine settings is disclosed. In one embodiment a universal configuration communication protocol is provided for retrieving or modifying, over a network, current gaming machine setting of a remotely located gaming machine. A translation table may be implemented with the communication protocol to achieve variable translation between different gaming machine platforms. In one embodiment the gaming machine status is requested prior to activating the communication protocol to prevent interruption of game play. In one embodiment activation of the communication protocol may result in the gaming machine momentarily entering an inactive status.

Claims

1. A method for determining settings on a gaming machine via a computerized network that is linked to a plurality of different gaming machines having different gaming machine platforms, the method comprising:

generating a machine settings request at a host, the machine settings request comprising a plurality of variable sets for the plurality of different gaming machine platforms with each variable set being associated with a different gaming machine platform and each variable set comprising a plurality of variables;

converting the settings request using a communication protocol to create a standardized settings request;

transmitting the standardized settings request over a computer network to a gaming machine;

receiving the standardized settings request at a gaming machine having a first platform;

performing a variable translation at the gaming machine on the standardized settings request that pertain to the first platform to obtain translated variables for said first platform;

retrieving machine settings including a variable set including a plurality of variables from the gaming machine based on the translated variables;

transmitting a response containing the machine settings comprising a plurality of variables to the host machine;

receiving a response from a gaming machine; and

displaying or recording the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes, upon receipt of the standardized settings request at the gaming machine, designating the gaming machine in inactive status.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising verify the gaming machine is not in play prior to retrieving the machine settings at a gaming machine.

4. A method for determining the settings of a gaming machine via a computerized network comprising:

receiving a machine settings request at a gaming machine having a particular platform, the machine settings request comprising a plurality of variable sets for the plurality of different gaming machine platforms with each variable set being associated with a different gaming machine platform and each variable set comprising a plurality of variables;

converting the variable set of the machine settings request to a gaming machine specific format based on a communication protocol and a translation table to identify the variable set for the platform of said gaming machine;

polling the gaming machine to obtain the requested gaming machine settings; and

transmitting the gaming machine settings over the computerized network.

5. The method of claim 4, furthering including transmitting a machine active message to a host machine if the gaming machine is in play upon receipt of the machine settings request and if gaming machine is in play then not polling or transmitting the gaming machine settings.

6. A method for modifying gaming machine settings from a host computer, the method comprising:

generating a machine status inquiry at the host computer;

sending the machine status inquiry to a gaming machine having a particular type of platform over a computer network;

receiving, at the host computer, an inquiry response from the gaming machine, the inquiry response indicating if the gaming machine is available;

sending a gaming machine setting modification request to the gaming machine if the inquiry response indicates that the gaming machine is available, the gaming machine setting modification request configured to modify a plurality settings of the gaming machine and wherein the gaming machine settings modification request comprising a plurality of variable sets for a plurality of different gaming machine platforms with each variable set being associated with one type of gaming machine platform and each variable set comprising a plurality of variables; and

converting the setting modification request to a format for use by the machine at the gaming machine by identifying the variable set that pertains to the platform of the gaming machine and modifying settings of the gaming machine based upon said variable set;

receiving, at the host computer, a gaming machine setting modification response comprising a plurality of variables from the gaming machine.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating comprises obtaining input from a user of the host computer regarding which of one or more gaming machines to send a status inquiry to and formatting the status inquiry into a format for transmission over a computerized network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the method is performed by a software module configured to communicate with the gaming machine over a computer network using a communication protocol.

9. A method for modifying settings of a gaming machine having a particular platform comprising:

providing data to a computerized device regarding which plurality of settings to modify;

formatting the data into a machine setting modification request for use by software on the gaming machine, the machine settings request comprising a plurality of variable sets for the plurality of different gaming machine platforms with each variable set being associated with a different gaming machine platform and each variable set comprising a plurality of variables;

providing the setting modification request to a network interface of the computerized device for transmission to a gaming machine;

receiving and processing the setting modification request at the gaming machine by identifying the variable set pertaining to the platform of the gaming machine;

seizing control of the gaming machine; and

modifying one or more settings of the gaming machine based on the setting modification request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computerized device comprises a computer.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein transmission to a gaming machine occurs over a computerized network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein providing data further includes providing data regarding which gaming machine is to have its settings modified.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further includes translating at least one variable to a one or more alternate variables, wherein the one or more alternate variables are utilized by the gaming machine.

14. The method of claim 9, further including sending a setting modification confirmation from the gaming machine to the computerized device to provide confirmation that gaming machine settings were modified.

15. A system for changing one or more settings of a gaming machine from a remote location, the system comprising:

a host system comprising;

a user interface;

a first network interface configured to communicate over a computerized network;

a processor configured to execute computer program code logic;

a processor readable medium storing;

computer program code logic configured to generate a gaming machine settings modification request, the computer program code logic being configured to receive the gaming machine settings modification request via the second network interface and the computer program code logic being configured to process the gaming machine settings modification request are standardized to operate on more than one type of gaming machine platform with each game setting modification request comprising a plurality of variable sets comprising a plurality of variables with each variable set being associated with a different platform;

computer program code logic configured to receive the gaming machine settings modification request and transmit the gaming machine settings modification request to a gaming machine via the first network interface;

a gaming machine of a particular gaming machine platform comprising;

a second network interface configured to communicate over a computerized network;

a processor configured to execute computer program code logic; and

a processor readable medium storing;

computer program code logic configured to receive the gaming machine settings modification request via the second network interface;

computer program code logic configured to process the gaming machine settings modification request to thereby modify a plurality settings of the gaming machine by identifying the variable set associated with the machine platform; and

the processor readable medium storing computer program code logic being configured to translate a variable representing a setting to be modified by the gaming machine settings modification request to a format compatible with the gaming machine.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the gaming machine settings modification request is in a format compatible with two or more gaming machine network protocols.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one of the one or more settings of the gaming machine comprises a setting that controls the pay out rate for the gaming machine.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the gaming machine further includes a processor readable medium storing computer program code logic configured to prevent gaming machine play during modification of one or more settings of the gaming machine.

19. A communication protocol to facilitate the modification of one or more settings of a plurality of different types of gaming machines of different gaming machine platforms from a remote location, the communication protocol configured to:

receive data from a machine settings control module located on a host system, the data identifying at least one gaming machine out of the plurality of different types of gaming machines to which a settings request is to be sent;

process the data into a machine settings request, the settings request compatible with a plurality of different gaming machine platforms equipped with the communication protocol, the machine settings request comprising a plurality of variable sets for the plurality of different gaming machine platforms with each variable set being associated with a different gaming machine platform and each variable set comprising a plurality of variables;

provide the machine settings request to a communication device associated with the host system for transmission to a gaming machine at a remote location; and

the protocol further being configured to translate the variable set associated with the communication protocol to a variable set associated with one of the plurality of different types of gaming machines.

20. The communication protocol of claim 19, further configured to:

receive the settings request from a communication device associated with the gaming machine;

process the settings request to determine one or more actions requested in the settings request; and

execute the one or more actions.

21. The communication protocol of claim 20, further configured to prevent play of the gaming machine when the communication protocol processes the settings request and executes the one or more actions.

22. The communication protocol of claim 19, wherein the settings request comprises a request to determine current settings of a gaming machine.

23. The communication protocol of claim 19, wherein the gaming machine comprises a gaming machine on a casino floor.

24. The communication protocol of claim 19, wherein the communication device comprises a communication device configured to transmit the settings request over a computer network, the computer network consisting of a local area network, a wide area network, a gaming machine network, the Internet, a public switched telephone network, and a wireless network.