Virtual leash for personal gaming device

• US 8,622,842 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T., Muir, David H., Paulsen, Craig A., Stockdale, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brewster, William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsu, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US13/610,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• 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 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing a virtual leash and command download capabilities on a hand-held personal gaming device (“PGD”) are disclosed. A host gaming system includes a game server configured to generate game seeds having data regarding predetermined game outcomes for various wager based games, and an authentication server configured to establish a virtual leash with a PGD. The virtual leash is adapted to repeatedly authenticate or verify a PGD user, a PGD location, the PGD itself, and/or software codes on the PGD. Included within an associated PGD are a display adapted to display gaming related information, a processor configured to execute gaming related code, and a memory containing a command download of computer code to be executed by the processor. The command download of computer code includes enough code for the PGD to process and display independently a game play based on a game seed.

Claims

1. A gaming system adapted for accepting wagers, playing games based on the wagers, and granting monetary payouts based on the results of the games, comprising:

a game server configured to accept input regarding a specific number of wager based games to be played on an associated hand-held personal gaming device, to generate a game seed having data regarding a predetermined game outcome for each of said specific number of wager based games, and to transmit said game seed for each of said specific number of wager based games to a storage device for use by said personal gaming device for future game play thereupon, wherein said wager based games involve the placement of wagers, the play of games based on the wagers and the grant of payouts based on the outcomes of the games;

a financial server in communication with said game server and configured to track financial data related to each of said generated predetermined game outcomes;

an authentication server in communication with said game server and configured to establish a plurality of virtual leashes, wherein each of the plurality of leashes are repeatedly checked during game play on the personal gaming device, wherein a break in any of the plurality of virtual leashes causes game play on the personal gaming device to stop, wherein the plurality of virtual leashes includes;

a personal virtual leash adapted to authenticate or verify a user of said personal gaming device,

a location virtual leash adapted to determine whether a location of the personal gaming device is within an authorized gaming area, wherein a break in the location virtual leash additionally triggers a warning message to the player,

a personal gaming device virtual leash adapted to verify the personal gaming device itself, and

a software virtual leash adapted to verify that software stored on said personal gaming device is authorized to be used; and

a hand-held personal gaming device including a display adapted to display gaming related information, a processor configured to execute gaming related code, and a memory containing at least one command download of computer code to be executed by said processor, wherein said at least one command download of computer code includes enough code for said hand-held personal gaming device to process and display independently a game play at said display based on one of said game seeds, and wherein said personal gaming device is adapted to communicate both with said game server and said authentication server, wherein the financial server is further configured to accept information from the gaming server regarding the predetermined game outcome for each of the specific number of games, and is further configured to reconcile the accepted information with actual results from the future game play on the personal gaming device.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said specific number of wager based games to be played comprises a block of games to be paid for in advance before said game seeds are transmitted to said personal gaming device.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, further including:

a portable memory device adapted to store said game seeds, wherein said portable memory device is adapted to be coupled and decoupled from said personal gaming device.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said personal virtual leash is established at least in part by accepting at least one of a PIN, password, fingerprint, voiceprint, retinal scan, picture, or digital signature of said user.

5. The gaming system of claim 4, the personal virtual leash is established by reading a fingerprint of said user while said user handles said personal gaming device.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said personal gaming device virtual leash is established at least in part by accepting data from at least one of an RFID tag, or dongle.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, further including:

at least one docking station configured to interface with said personal gaming device, wherein said game seeds are transmitted to said personal gaming device via said at least one docking station.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said hand-held personal gaming device comprises a private outside device owned by said user, and wherein one or more of said game server, said financial server and said authentication server are owned and operated by a gaming establishment separate from said user.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said location virtual leash is established at least in part by emitting a signal from one or more system devices.

18. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the authentication server is further configured to send an alert to security personnel if the location virtual leash is broken.

19. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the memory of the personal gaming device is configured to be erased if the location virtual leash is broken.

10. A method of administering wager based games, comprising:

providing a gaming system having one or more servers adapted to facilitate the play of said wager based games at an associated hand-held personal gaming device, said wager based games involving the placement of wagers, the play of games, and the grant of monetary payouts based on the results of the games;

accepting input from a first user regarding a number of wager based games to be played on said personal gaming device, said personal gaming device including a display adapted to display gaming related information, a processor configured to execute gaming related code, and a memory containing at least one command download of computer code to be executed by said processor, wherein said at least one command download of computer code includes enough code for said personal gaming device to process and display a game play at said display based on a game seed having data regarding a predetermined game outcome for a respective game;

generating at said system having one or more servers a predetermined game outcome for each of said number of wager based games to be played on said personal gaming device;

transmitting said predetermined game outcome for each of said number of games in the form of data within a game seed to a storage device for use by said personal gaming device;

storing said game seed for each of said number of games at said storage device for later use;

executing said at least one command download of computer code at said personal gaming device using a first game seed from said stored game seeds to present a game corresponding to said first game seed at said display;

storing data regarding said predetermined game outcome for each of said number of games at least one of said one or more system servers;

establishing, by said system having one or more servers, a plurality of virtual leashes relating to the personal gaming device, wherein a break in any of the plurality of virtual leashes causes the game play on the personal gaming device to stop, wherein the plurality of leashes includes;

a personal virtual leash configured to authenticate or verify the first user,

a location virtual leash configured to determine whether a location of the personal gaming device is within an authorized gaming area, wherein a break in the location virtual leash additionally triggers a warning message to the player,

a personal gaming device virtual leash configured to verify the personal gaming device itself, and

a software virtual leash configured to verify that software stored on the personal gaming device is authorized for the game play;

monitoring the plurality of virtual leashes for a break of any of the plurality of leashes; and

reconciling said stored data with actual results from said executed game plays on said personal gaming device using said game seeds.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

receiving payment from said first user for a wager to play at least one of said number of wager based games.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said storage device is selected from the group consisting of:

a smart card, a player card, a portable memory module and a memory of said personal gaming device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said personal virtual leash is established at least in part by accepting at least one of a PIN, password, fingerprint, voiceprint, retinal scan, picture, or digital signature of a proper user.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of monitoring said plurality of virtual leashes includes monitoring on a repeated basis to determine whether a break has occurred.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

providing a docking station configured to interface with said personal gaming device, wherein said transmitting step is performed via said docking station.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving input from a second user regarding a request to play said game at said personal gaming device; and

verifying that said second user is a proper user for which said game may be played.

17. A gaming system adapted for accepting wagers, playing games based on the wagers, and granting monetary payouts based on the results of the games, comprising:

a game server configured to accept input regarding a specific number of wager based games to be played on an associated personal gaming device, to generate a game seed having data regarding a predetermined game outcome for each of said specific number of wager based games, and to transmit said game seed for each of said specific number of wager based games to a storage device for use by said personal gaming device for future game play thereupon, wherein said game server is further configured to provide at least one command download of computer code to said personal gaming device, wherein said at least one command download of computer code includes enough code for said personal gaming device to process and display independently a game play at a display of said personal gaming device based on one of said game seeds, and wherein the game server is further configured to generate information regarding the predetermined game outcome for each of the specific number of games, and is further configured to reconcile the generated information with actual results from the future game play on the personal gaming device; and

an authentication server in communication with said game server and configured to establish a plurality of virtual leashes with said personal gaming device, wherein each of the plurality of leashes are repeatedly checked during game play on the personal gaming device, wherein a break in any of the plurality of virtual leashes causes game play on the personal gaming device to stop, wherein the plurality of virtual leashes includes;

a personal virtual leash adapted to authenticate or verify a user of said personal gaming device,

a location virtual leash adapted to determine whether a location of said personal gaming device is within an authorized gaming area, wherein a break in the location virtual leash additionally triggers a warning message to the player,

a personal gaming device virtual leash adapted to verify the personal gaming device itself, and

a software virtual leash adapted to verify that software stored on said personal gaming device is authorized to be used.