Systems, methods and devices for configuring wagering game devices based on shared data

• US 8,721,436 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamlin, Vernon W., Sylla, Craig J., Quaglia, Paul A., Salzman, Scot W., Adiraju, Srinivyasa M., Pace, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US13/776,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20140051499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463 40- 43
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

Gaming devices, gaming systems, methods of configuring gaming devices, and computer programs for configuring gaming devices are featured. A gaming machine is disclosed for communicatively coupling to peer gaming machines via a peer-to-peer network. The gaming machine includes a display device(s), a processor(s), and a memory device(s) storing instructions that cause the gaming machine to: store a first set of data indicative of the gaming machine'"'"'s configuration parameters and a second set of data indicative of the gaming machine'"'"'s performance; receive from one or more peer gaming machines a third set of data indicative of the peer gaming machine'"'"'s(s'"'"') configuration parameters and a fourth set of data indicative of the peer gaming machine'"'"'s(s'"'"') performance; analyze the third and fourth data sets to determine modifications to the gaming machine'"'"'s configuration parameters to improve machine performance; and, automatically modify at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine based upon the analysis.

Claims

1. A gaming machine for communicatively coupling to one or more peer gaming machines via a peer-to-peer gaming network, the gaming machine comprising:

one or more display devices;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming machine to;

store, via at least one of the one or more memory devices, a first set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the gaming machine, and a second set of data indicative of machine performance of the gaming machine;

receive, from the one or more peer gaming machines via the peer-to-peer gaming network, a third set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the one or more peer gaming machines, and a fourth set of data indicative of machine performance of the one or more peer gaming machines;

analyze, via at least one of the one or more processors, the third and fourth sets of data to determine one or more modifications to the configuration parameters of the gaming machine to thereby improve the machine performance of the gaming machine; and

automatically modify at least one of the configuration parameters of the gaming machine based upon the results of the analysis.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the machine performance of the gaming machine includes a statistical analysis of at least one of coin in data, payout data, and occupancy data of the gaming machine.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine affects the mathematical configuration of a wagering game available for play on the gaming machine.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine affects one or more settings of a hardware component of the gaming machine.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine includes at least one of a line count, an available payline count, a maximum available bet, a minimum available bet, and a button panel wagering configuration.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the third and fourth sets of data to determine one or more modifications to the configuration parameters of the gaming machine is based on a predefined rule set.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to transmit to the one or more peer gaming machines a recommended modification to at least one of the configuration parameters of the one or more peer gaming machines to thereby improve the machine performance of the one or more peer gaming machines.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to transmit the first and second sets of data to the one or more peer gaming machines via the peer-to-peer gaming network.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to store, via at least one of the one or more memory devices, the third and fourth sets of data received from the one or more peer gaming machines.

10. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to schedule a configuration cycle for the gaming machine.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to schedule a collection cycle for collecting data from the gaming machine.

12. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to schedule a transmit cycle for transmitting data to the one or more peer gaming machines.

13. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming machine and the one or more peer gaming machines share a common location.

14. One or more physical machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

store on at least one memory device a first set of data indicative of configuration parameters of a gaming machine, and a second set of data indicative of machine performance of the gaming machine;

receive from a peer gaming machine via a peer-to-peer gaming network a third set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the peer gaming machine, and a fourth set of data indicative of machine performance of the peer gaming machine;

analyze the third and fourth sets of data to determine one or more modifications to the configuration parameters of the gaming machine to thereby improve the machine performance of the gaming machine; and

automatically modify at least one of the configuration parameters of the gaming machine based upon the results of the analysis.

15. A method of configuring gaming machines communicatively coupled together via a peer-to-peer gaming network, the method comprising:

storing, on a first one of the gaming machines, a first set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the first gaming machine, and a second set of data indicative of machine performance of the first gaming machine;

storing, on a second one of the gaming machines, a third set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the second gaming machine, and a fourth set of data indicative of machine performance of the second gaming machine;

transmitting the third set of data and the fourth set of data from the second gaming machine to the first gaming machine;

analyzing, via the first gaming machine, the third and fourth sets of data to determine one or more modifications to the configuration parameters of the first gaming machine to thereby improve the machine performance of the first gaming machine; and

automatically modifying at least one of the configuration parameters of the first gaming machine based upon the results of the analysis.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the machine performance of the first gaming machine includes a statistical analysis of at least one of coin in data, payout data, and occupancy data of the first gaming machine.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the first gaming machine affects the mathematical configuration of a wagering game available for play on the first gaming machine.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the first gaming machine includes at least one of a line count, an available payline count, a maximum available bet, a minimum available bet, and a button panel wagering configuration.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the analyzing the third and fourth sets of data to determine one or more modifications to the configuration parameters of the first gaming machine is based on a predefined rule set.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting from the second gaming machine to the first gaming machine a recommended modification to at least one of the configuration parameters of the first gaming machine to thereby improve the machine performance of the first gaming machine.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting the first and second sets of data from the first gaming machine to the second gaming machine.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing on the first gaming machine the third and fourth sets of data received from the second gaming machine.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the analyzing the third and fourth sets of data to determine one or more modifications to the configuration parameters of the gaming machine is based on a common location shared by the first and second gaming machines.

24. One or more physical machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors resident to a gaming machine, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

store on a memory device resident to the gaming machine, a first set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the gaming machine, and a second set of data indicative of machine performance of the gaming machine;

receive from a peer gaming machine via a peer-to-peer gaming network a third set of data indicative of configuration parameters of the peer gaming machine, and a fourth set of data indicative of machine performance of the peer gaming machine;

analyze the received data via at least one of the one or more processors resident to the gaming machine to determine if the machine performance of the peer gaming machine is better than the machine performance of the gaming machine; and

responsive to the results of the analysis, modify at least one of the configuration parameters of the gaming machine based upon the configuration parameters of the peer gaming machine.

25. A gaming system for conducting a wagering game, the gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines each having a respective display device, a respective memory device, and a respective communication interface, each of the respective communication interfaces being configured to receive data and transmit data, each of the gaming machines being configured to store data on the respective memory device; and

a peer-to-peer network communicatively coupling the plurality of gaming machines together,

wherein each of the gaming machines is operable to selectively transfer machine performance data and machine configuration data to the other gaming machines on the peer-to-peer network;

wherein each of the gaming machines is operable to analyze the data transferred thereto via the other gaming machines on the peer-to-peer network; and

wherein each of the gaming machines is operable to modify one or more configuration parameters of the gaming machine based on the analyzed data transferred thereto via the other gaming machines on the peer-to-peer network.