Apparatus, method, and system to provide a multiple processor architecture for server-based gaming

• US 8,266,213 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Crowder, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US12/271,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20100124990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 709/209, 709/205, 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 463/25, 463/31
• US Class Current: 709/205
• 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 17/3223 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

Abstract

An architecture for an electronic gaming machine (EGM) includes multiple processors that separate game logic from game presentation. The multi-processor architecture includes a dedicated game logic engine and a dedicated presentation engine. A first processor having the game logic engine is adapted to handle the input/output (I/O), peripherals, communications, accounting, critical gaming and other game logic, power hit tolerances, protocols to other systems, and other tasks related to operation of the EGM. A second processor is adapted to running a presentation engine. The second processor receives commands from the first processor to present game-oriented outcome and results.

Claims

1. A method of operating a multi-processor architecture in an electronic gaming environment, the method comprising:

providing a first processor to execute a logic engine for a game, said first processor being located in a server;

providing a second processor to execute only a presentation engine for said game, said second processor being located in a client device remote from said server;

executing by said first processor said logic engine to process player input to obtain an outcome pertaining to said game;

sending, by said first processor to said second processor, a control signal that corresponds to said outcome;

executing, by said second processor in response to said control signal sent by said first processor, said presentation engine to present said outcome;

providing communication from said second processor to a display to enable said second processor to control presentation of said outcome within a first area of said display; and

providing communication from said first processor to said display to enable said first processor to control presentation of content within a second area of said display concurrently with said presentation of said outcome within said first area, wherein said content is different from said outcome and said first area is different from said second area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising downloading said presentation engine from said server to said client device, wherein said executing said logic engine includes executing said logic engine at said server and wherein said executing said presentation engine includes executing said downloaded presentation engine at said client device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first processor is also provided to execute tasks pertaining to input/output (I/O,) peripherals, communications, accounting, power hit tolerances, and protocols.

4. A multi-processor system in an electronic gaming environment, the system comprising:

a first processor configured to execute a logic engine for a game, said first processor being located in a server;

a second processor configured to execute only a presentation engine for said game, said second processor being located in a client device remote from said server;

a first processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to said first processor and that stores a first set of processor-executable instructions that implement said logic engine, said first set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said first processor to process player input to obtain an outcome pertaining to said game;

a communication line that communicatively couples said first and second processors and enables said first processor to provide a control signal to said second processor that corresponds to said outcome; and

a second processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to said second processor and that stores a second set of processor-executable instructions that implement said presentation engine, said second set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said second processor to present content in a first area of a display communicatively coupled to the second processor and, in response to said control signal sent by said first processor, to present said outcome in a distinct second area of said display, said server being configured to download said second set of processor-executable instructions that implement said presentation engine to said client device to be executed at said client device, and wherein said first set of processor-executable instructions that implement said logic engine are executed at said server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said display is independently controllable by both said first and second processors.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said second processor is located on a wireless client device.

7. An electronic gaming machine (EGM) apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to execute only a presentation engine for a game, wherein another processor is configured to execute a logic engine for said game, said another processor being located at a server remote from said at least one processor;

a processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to said at least one processor and that stores a set of processor-executable instructions that implement said presentation engine, said set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said at least one processor to present an outcome pertaining to said game, in response to a control signal received from said another processor and generated by said another processor in response to application of said logic engine to player input; and

a display communicatively coupled to said at least one processor and said another processor and configured to concurrently display a first type of information in a first portion of said display, the first type of information being received from said at least one processor, and a distinct second type of information in a distinct second portion of said display, the second type of information being received from said another processor.

8. The EGM apparatus of claim 7, further comprising another processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to said first processor and that stores a another set of processor-executable instructions that implement said logic engine, said first set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said first processor to process said player input to obtain said outcome pertaining to said game.

9. The EGM apparatus of claim 7 wherein said at least one processor is located in a wireless client device.

10. A server apparatus in an electronic gaming environment, the server comprising:

at least one processor configured to execute a game logic engine for a game and another processor configured to execute only a presentation engine for said game, said presentation engine downloaded by said at least one processor to a client device having said another processor so as to be executed at said client device and so as to present content in a first display area of said client device; and

a processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to said at least one processor and storing a set of processor-executable instructions that implement said game logic engine, said set of processor-executable instructions being executable by said at least one processor to obtain an outcome pertaining to said game in response to player input, said at least one processor enabled to generate a control signal corresponding to said outcome and to send said control signal to said another processor to enable said another processor to execute said presentation engine to present said outcome in a distinct second display area of said client device.

11. The server apparatus of claim 10 wherein said client device includes a wireless device.

12. The server apparatus of claim 10 wherein said game logic engine is shared by a plurality of remote client devices, each having a respective said another processor configured to execute respective said presentation engine.