Sharing resources in wagering game systems

• US 8,961,318 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Liber, Nevin J., Schulhof, Scott H., Smith, Jason A., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US13/708,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20130095930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 17/3218 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 17/3227 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

Abstract

Techniques for sharing resources in wagering game systems are described herein. Some embodiments include a method comprising: detecting, by the wagering game machine, low processing capabilities of the wagering game machine. The method can include determining, based on the detecting low processing capabilities, that remote resources are needed for processing video content associated with a wagering game. The method can include requesting, via a network, the remote resources from the remote wagering game machine. The method can also include receiving, from the remote wagering game machine via the network, processed video content for the wagering game, and presenting, on a display device, the wagering game using the processed video content.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing, in a wagering game machine, video processing resources of a remote wagering game machine, the method comprising:

detecting, by the wagering game machine, low processing capabilities of the wagering game machine;

determining, in response to the detecting low processing capabilities, that remote resources are needed for processing video content associated with a wagering game;

requesting, via a network, the remote resources from the remote wagering game machine;

receiving, from the remote wagering game machine via the network, processed video content for the wagering game; and

presenting, on a display device, the wagering game using the processed video content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed video content is suitable for presentation on a display device of the wagering game machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that remote resources are needed is based on the video content requiring scaling to be suitable for display on a display device of the wagering game machine.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from a wagering game server, a result for the wagering game.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a result for the wagering game.

6. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices including instructions that when executed by one or more processors of a first wagering game machine, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for processing game history information, the instructions comprising:

instructions for presenting a wagering game on the first wagering game machine;

instructions for generating the game history information for use in replaying the wagering game, wherein the game history information includes a result of the wagering game;

instructions for detecting a shortage of storage space in the storage device;

instructions for searching for a second wagering game machine having available storage space;

instructions for transmitting the game history information to the second wagering game machine; and

instructions for deleting the game history information from the storage device.

7. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 6, further comprising:

instructions for receiving the game history information from the second wagering game machine;

instructions for replaying, on the first wagering game machine, the wagering game based on the game history information.

8. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 6, wherein the instructions for searching include instructions for transmitting a request for storage space over a network.

9. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 6, wherein the second wagering game wagering game machine is a stationary wagering game machine, and wherein the first wagering game machine is a mobile wagering game machine.

10. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 6, wherein the result of the wagering game is determined by a remote wagering game server.

11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage devices of claim 6, wherein the game history information is transmitted via low power wireless signals.

12. A system comprising:

a first wagering game machine including a display device, the first wagering game machine configured to

request, from a second wagering game machine, processed video content formatted for the display device;

present a wagering game using video content;

the second wagering game machine configured to

receive, from the first wagering game machine, the request for processed video content formatted for the display device;

process video content into the processed video content formatted for the display device; and

transmit the processed video content to the first wagering game machine.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first wagering game machine is further configured to generate game history information associated with the wagering games;

and

determine that storage capacity is low;

transmit, after the determination that storage capacity is low, the game history information for storage on second wagering game machine.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second wagering game machine is configured to process the video content by scaling the video content to fit the video device.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the game history information indicates player inputs and results associated with the wagering game.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first wagering game machine is a mobile wagering game machine, and wherein the second wagering game machine is a stationary wagering game machine.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the first wagering game machine is further configured to receive the game history information from the second wagering game machine, and to present, on the display device, a replay of the wagering game based on the game history information.

18. A wagering game machine comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more machine readable storage devices including computer executable program code executable by at least one of the one or more of the processors, the computer executable program configured to perform operations including detecting low processing capabilities of the wagering game machine;

determining, by the wagering game machine, that remote resources are needed for processing video content associated with a wagering game;

requesting, via a network, the remote resources from a remote wagering game machine;

receiving, from the remote wagering game machine via the network, processed video content for the wagering game; and

presenting, on a display device, the wagering game using the processed video content.

19. The wagering game machine of claim 18, wherein the processed video content is scaled for a display device of the wagering game machine.

20. The wagering game machine of claim 18, wherein the operations further include determining the video content has to be scaled for the display device.