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

• US 9,033,791 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• 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:
  US14/242,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20140243099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 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 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 one or more operating metrics of the gaming machine;

receive, from the one or more peer gaming machines via the peer-to-peer gaming network, a second set of data indicative of one or more operating metrics of the one or more peer gaming machines;

analyze, via at least one of the one or more processors, the first and second sets of data to determine if there is a potential malfunction scenario on the gaming machine; and

in response to a determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the gaming machine, generate a malfunction data signal indicative of the potential malfunction scenario.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine, in response to the determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the gaming machine, to report the malfunction data signal to an external computing device or an external server, or both.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine, in response to the determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the gaming machine, to turn off a hardware component of the gaming machine.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine, in response to the determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the gaming machine, to modify at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine.

5. The gaming machine of claim 4, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine affects an operating temperature or an operating electrical consumption, or both, of the gaming machine.

6. The gaming machine of claim 4, 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.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the first and second sets of data to determine if there is a potential malfunction scenario is based on a predefined rule set.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to transmit the first set 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 second set 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 collection cycle for collecting data from the gaming machine.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions further cause the gaming machine to schedule a configuration cycle for reconfiguring 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 is within the same gaming establishment as or neighbors, or both, the one or more peer gaming machines.

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:

receive from a first peer gaming machine via a peer-to-peer gaming network a first set of data indicative of one or more operating metrics of the first peer gaming machine;

receive from a second peer gaming machine via the peer-to-peer gaming network a second set of data indicative of one or more operating metrics of the second peer gaming machine;

analyze the first and second sets of data to determine if there is a potential malfunction scenario on the first peer gaming machine or the second peer gaming machine; and

in response to a determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario, generating a malfunction data signal indicative of the potential malfunction scenario.

15. A method of operating 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 one or more operating metrics of the first gaming machine;

storing, on a second one of the gaming machines, a second set of data indicative of one or more operating metrics of the second gaming machine;

transmitting, via the peer-to-peer gaming network, the second set of data from the second gaming machine to the first gaming machine;

analyzing, via the first gaming machine, the first and second sets of data to determine if there is a potential malfunction scenario on the first gaming machine; and

in response to a determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the first gaming machine, generating a malfunction data signal indicative of the potential malfunction scenario.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, in response to the determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the first gaming machine, transmitting the malfunction data signal to an external computing device or an external server, or both.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising, in response to the determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the first gaming machine, turning off a hardware component of the first gaming machine.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising, in response to the determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the first gaming machine, modifying at least one configuration parameter of the first gaming machine.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the modified at least one configuration parameter of the gaming machine affects an operating temperature or an operating electrical consumption, or both, of the gaming machine.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting, via the peer-to-peer gaming network, the first set of data from the first gaming machine to the second gaming machine;

analyzing, via the second gaming machine, the first and second sets of data to determine if there is a potential malfunction scenario on the second gaming machine; and

in response to a determination that there is a potential malfunction scenario on the second gaming machine, generating a second malfunction data signal indicative of the potential malfunction scenario.