Multi-system gaming terminal communication device

• US 7,666,099 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Crumby, Hardy Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIM, SENG HENG
• Application Number:
  US11/071,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20050148393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 3/04 Anorexiants; Antiobesity agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 3/06 Antihyperlipidemics
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 43/00 Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
• 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

Abstract

A gaming machine with a communication multiplexer device that allows communications between the gaming machine and one or more game service servers all within a single network interface is described. The single network interface may be a wireless or wired network interface. The communication multiplexer device converts messages in native communication protocols used by the gaming machine to a network communication protocol such as TCP/IP for transmission over the single wired or wireless network interface. The communication multiplexer is designed such that the gaming machine may receive messages that have been transmitted using the native communication protocols without modifying regulated gaming software on the gaming machine.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller designed or configured i) to control a game of chance played on the gaming machine by executing regulated gaming software, ii) to receive wagers on an outcome for the game of chance and iii) to communicate with one or more game service servers providing game services using one or more application specific protocols included in the regulated gaming software;

a display for displaying the game of chance played on the gaming machine;

a communication multiplexer device comprising;

a plurality of communication ports connected to a multi-port communication board wherein each communication port transmits and receives messages between the gaming machine and the communication multiplexer device in at least one of the application specific protocols used by the master gaming controller and wherein each communication port is configured to accept a physical communication connection compatible with at least one or more of the application specific protocols and wherein each communication port is configurable to utilize a physical communication protocol that allows messages in at least one of the application specific protocols to be parsed by the communication multiplexer device;

only one output communication port that transmits messages addressed to the one or more game service servers and receives messages from the one or more game service servers addressed to one of the plurality of communication ports using a second communication protocol;

a logic device that does not directly communicate with the master gaming controller on the gaming machine, said logic device adapted for;

i) determining a destination device for each message received at one of the plurality of communication ports wherein each message is formatted using one of the application specific protocols, formatting each message in one of the application specific protocols into the second communication protocol and transmitting a message formatted in the second communication protocol via the only one output communication port to the destination device wherein the message formatted in the second communication protocol includes information originally formatted in one of the application specific protocols;

ii) determining a destination port from among the plurality of communication ports for each message received at the only one output communication port wherein each message received at the only one output communication port is formatted using the second communication protocol, formatting the message received in the second communication protocol into one of the application specific communication protocols that is compatible with the destination port and transmitting the message formatted in one of the application specific protocols via the destination port; and

a memory device for storing a) information regarding the one or more application specific protocols and the physical communication protocol used at each of the plurality of communication ports, b) the second communication protocol and c) a mapping between each of the plurality of communication ports and one or more of the destination devices, said mapping allowing the logic device to determine the destination device or the destination port for each message received by the communications multiplexer device;

the physical communication connections connected to each of the plurality of communication ports; and

a network interface connected to the only one output communication port and a network that receives and transmits messages using the second communication protocol.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game services are selected from group consisting of progressive game services, bonus game services, player tracking services, cashless ticketing services, game downloading services, prize services, entertainment content services, concierge services, lottery services and money transfer services.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the network interface provides a wireless connection or a wired connection to the network.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3, further comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving communications over the wireless connection.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more application specific protocols are selected from the group consisting of a progressive game service protocol, a bonus game service protocol, a player tracking service protocol, a cashless ticketing service protocol, a game downloading service protocol, a prize service protocol, an entertainment content service protocol, a concierge service protocol, a lottery service protocol and a money transfer service protocol.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication ports comprises a first communication port using a first application specific communication protocol and a second communication port using a second application specific communication protocol.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication ports comprises a first communication port that receives and sends messages from a first game service server and a second communication port that receives and send messages from a second game service server.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the logic device is further adapted for configuring each of the plurality of communication ports to emulate one of the application specific protocols.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the logic device is further adapted for communicating with a boot server that sends configuration information to the communication multiplexer device.

10. The gaming machine of claim 9, wherein the configuration information specifies one or more of the mapping between each of the plurality of communication ports and one or more of the destination devices, a particular application specific protocol to use at one of the plurality of communication ports, a particular physical communication protocol to use at one of the plurality of communication ports or combinations thereof.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more game service servers are selected from the group consisting of a prize server, a game server, an entertainment content server, a cashless ticketing server, a progressive game server, a bonus game server, a concierge service server, a lottery server and a money transfer server.

12. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game of chance played on the gaming machine is at least one of a video slot game, a mechanical slot game, a lottery game, a video poker game, a video black jack game, and a video pachinko game.

13. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein each of the physical communication connections are one or more of the following:

RS-422/485 compatible, Fiber Optic compatible, RS-232 compatible, DCS Current Loop compatible, Link Progressive Current Loop compatible, FireWire compatible, Ethernet compatible, USB compatible or combinations thereof.

14. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the regulated gaming software in a communication path between the gaming machine and the one or more game service servers is the same as when the communication multiplexer device is not in a communication path between the gaming machine and the one or more game service servers.

15. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the logic device is further adapted for translating information received in a first application specific protocol to a second application specific protocol.

16. The gaming machine of claim 15, wherein the first application specific protocol is a first player tracking service protocol and the second application specific protocol is a second player tracking service protocol.

19. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the communication multiplexer device is configured to multiplex the messages received at the plurality of communication ports to transfer the received messages via the only one output communication port.

20. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication ports include a first communication port and a second communication port, wherein the first communication port is configured to be compatible with a first physical communication protocol and the second communication port is configured to be compatible with a second physical communication protocol, and wherein the second physical communication protocol is different than the first physical communication protocol.

21. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the first communication port is configured to be compatible with the first application specific communication protocol and the second communication port is configured to be compatible with the second application specific communication protocol, and wherein the second application specific communication protocol is different from the first application specific communication protocol.

22. The gaming machine of claim 7, wherein the first communication port is configured to be compatible with the first application specific communication protocol used by the first game service server and the second communication port is configured to be compatible with the second application specific communication protocol used by the second game service server, and wherein the second application specific communication protocol is different from the first application specific communication protocol.

17. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines, each gaming machine comprising;

a master gaming controller designed or configured i) to control a game of chance played on the gaming machine by executing regulated gaming software, ii) to receive wagers on an outcome for the game of chance and iii) to communicate with one or more game service servers providing game services using one or more application specific protocols included in the regulated gaming software;

a display for displaying the game of chance played on the gaming machine;

a communication multiplexer device comprising;

a plurality of communication ports connected to a multi-port communication board wherein each communication port transmits and receives messages between the gaming machine and the communication multiplexer device in at least one of the application specific protocols used by the master gaming controller and wherein each communication port is configured to accept a physical communication connection compatible with at least one or more of the application specific protocols and wherein each communication port is configurable to utilize a physical communication protocol that allows messages in at least one of the application specific protocols to be parsed by the communication multiplexer device;

only one output communication port that transmits messages addressed to the one or more game service servers and receives messages from the one or more game service servers addressed to one of the plurality of communication ports using a second communication protocol;

a logic device that does not directly communicate with the master gaming controller on the gaming machine, said logic device adapted for;

i) determining a destination device for each message received at one of the plurality of communication ports wherein each message is formatted using one of the application specific protocols, formatting each message in one of the application specific protocols into the second communication protocol and transmitting a message formatted in the second communication protocol via the only one output communication port to the destination device wherein the message formatted in the second communication protocol includes information originally formatted in one of the application specific protocols;

ii) determining a destination port from among the plurality of communication ports for each message received at the only one output communication port wherein each message received at the only one output communication port is formatted using the second communication protocol, formatting the message received in the second communication protocol into one of the application specific communication protocols that is compatible with the destination port and transmitting the message formatted in one of the application specific protocols via the destination port; and

a memory device for storing a) information regarding the one or more application specific protocols and the physical communication protocol used at each of the plurality of communication ports, b) the second communication protocol and c) a mapping between each of the plurality of communication ports and one or more of the destination devices, said mapping allowing the logic device to determine the destination device or the destination port for each message received by the communication multiplexer device;

the physical communication connections connected to each of the plurality of communication ports; and

a network interface connected to the only one output communication port and a network that receives and transmits messages using the second communication protocol;

the one or more game service servers;

the network for providing a communication path between the one or more game service servers and the gaming machine.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, further comprising:

a boot server for sending configuration information to the communication multiplexer device.