Login application for a wagering game portal

• US 9,058,720 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gangadharan, Magesh, Gagner, Mark B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US13/295,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20120122567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/42, 473/409, 726/31, 717/101, 1/1, 715/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 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

Systems described herein include wagering game systems having a portal container with one or more portal applications running within the portal container. The portal container includes a login application that receives player credentials and logs into various servers using the login credentials. The login application serves as a proxy for the portal applications that communicate with the servers.

Claims

1. A wagering game system primarily dedicated to conducting a casino wagering game, the wagering game system comprising:

a casino game server requiring login credentials for accessing a service provided by the casino game server;

an electronic random element generator configured to generate one or more random elements associated with determining outcomes of the casino wagering game;

a wagering game machine having;

a gaming cabinet housing electronic components operable for conducting the casino wagering game,

an electronic input device coupled to the gaming cabinet and configured to receive a physical input from a player to initiate the wagering game and transform the physical input into an electronic data signal,

one or more processors stowed inside the gaming cabinet, and

at least one electronic display device coupled to the gaming cabinet and configured to display an outcome of the casino wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, the outcome being randomly determined based, at least in part, on at least one of the one or more random elements generated by the electronic random element generator;

a portal container providing a runtime environment for applications;

a login application for the portal container to;

establish a communications stream with the server, receive the login credentials, and provide the login credentials to the server through the communications stream;

one or more portal applications for the portal container, the one or more portal applications utilizing the service provided by the server, the one or more portal applications being separate from the wagering game, the one or more portal applications authorized for the service using the login credentials provided to the login application through the communications stream; and

wherein the login application multiplexes communications from the one or more portal applications to the server, through the communication stream established by the login application.

2. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the portal container includes an encryption module, and wherein at least a portion of the login credentials are encrypted using the encryption module.

3. The wagering game system of claim 2, wherein the encryption module implements AES (Advance Encryption Standard) encryption.

4. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portal applications include one or more games provided in addition to the wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered.

5. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portal applications include one or more of:

an advertising application, a messaging application, a service reservation application, an email application, a web browser application, or an information provider application.

6. A method of operating a wagering game system primarily dedicated to conducting casino wagering games, the wagering game system having one or more electronic input devices configured to receive physical inputs from players and transform the physical inputs into electronic data signals, one or more electronic display devices configured to display outcomes of wagering games, one or more casino game servers with one or more electronic random element generators configured to generate random elements associated with play of wagering games, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical input from a player as an indication of a wager to play a wagering game;

initializing, in response to an electronic data signal generated by the at least one electronic input device responsive to the physical input from the player, presentation of the wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

randomly determining, based, at least in part, on one or more random elements generated by at least one of the one or more electronic random element generators, an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of available wagering-game outcomes;

displaying, via at least one of the one or more electronic display devices, the randomly determined outcome of the wagering game;

initializing a portal container, a login application, and one or more portal applications, the login application and the one or more portal applications running within a runtime environment provided by the portal container, the one or more portal applications being separate from the wagering game;

receiving, by the login application, login credentials for accessing one or more services provided by at least one of the one or more casino game servers;

establishing, by the login application, a communications stream with the one or more casino game servers;

providing, by the login application, the login credentials to the one or more casino game servers through the communications stream;

utilizing, by the one or more portal applications, the login credentials provided by the login application to access services provided by the one or more casino game servers, the one or more portal applications authorized using the login credentials provided to the login application; and

utilizing the communication stream established by the login application to communicate transactions between the one or more portal applications and the one or more casino game servers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the login credentials includes receiving a user identification and password.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the login credentials includes receiving a user identification from a player tracking system upon insertion of a player tracking card.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a portal application of the one or more portal applications uses the login credentials to access a player profile maintained on the server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the player profile includes achievement levels for an online casual game, and wherein the portal application presents the casual game.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein a portal application of the one or more portal applications users the login credentials to access a message server.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein initializing a portal container and one or more portal applications comprises reading a configuration that specifies the login application to be loaded and the one or more portal applications to load.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising concurrently presenting the one or more portal applications and the wagering game in separate windows.

12. A method of operating a wagering system for conducting a wagering game, the wagering game system having an electronic input device configured to receive a physical input from a player and transform the physical input into an electronic data signal, an electronic display device configured to display the wagering game, a casino game server and an electronic random element generator configured to generate a random element associated with play of the wagering game, the method comprising:

receiving, via the electronic input device, the physical input from the player as an indication of a wager to play the wagering game;

initializing, in response to the electronic data signal generated by the electronic input device responsive to the physical input from the player, presentation of the wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

randomly determining, based, at least in part, on the random element generated by the electronic random element generator, an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of available wagering-game outcomes;

displaying, via the electronic display device, the randomly determined outcome of the wagering game;

initializing a portal container and one or more portal applications, the one or more portal applications running within a runtime environment provided by the portal container, the one or more portal applications existing separately from the wagering game;

registering, by the one or more portal applications, with the portal container;

receiving, by a portal application of the one or more portal applications, a set of events supported by the portal container;

subscribing, by the portal application, to a subset of the set of events; and

notifying the portal application by the portal container upon occurrence of an event in the subset of the set of the events.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the event comprises a login event.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the event comprises insertion or removal of a player identification card.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the event comprises an event in a community based game.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the event in the community based game includes one or more of a game level achievement, a game trophy, or a game milestone.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processors of a wagering game system primarily dedicated to conducting casino wagering games to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from at least one of one or more electronic input devices, a physical input from a player as an indication of a wager to play a wagering game;

initializing, in response to an electronic data signal generated by the at least one electronic input device responsive to the physical input from the player, presentation of the wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

randomly determining, based, at least in part, on one or more random elements generated by at least one of one or more electronic random element generators, an outcome of the wagering game;

displaying, via at least one of one or more electronic display devices, the randomly determined outcome of the wagering game;

initializing a portal container, a login application, and one or more portal applications, the login application and the one or more portal applications running within a runtime environment provided by the portal container, the one or more portal applications displayed separately from the presentation of the wagering game;

receiving, by the login application, login credentials for accessing one or more services provided by at least one of one or more casino game servers;

establishing, by the login application, a communications stream with the one or more casino game servers;

providing, by the login application, the login credentials to the one or more casino game servers through the communications stream;

utilizing, by the one or more portal applications, the login credentials provided by the login application to access services provided by the one or more casino game servers, the one or more portal applications authorized using the login credentials provided to the login application; and

multiplexing communications from the one or more portal applications to the one or more casino game servers, through the communication stream established by the login application.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein receiving the login credentials includes receiving a user identification and password.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein receiving the login credentials includes receiving a user identification from a player tracking system upon insertion of a player tracking card.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein a portal application of the one or more portal applications uses the login credentials to access a player profile maintained on the server.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the player profile includes achievement levels for an online casual game, and wherein the portal application presents the casual game.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein a portal application of the one or more portal applications users the login credentials to access a message server.

25. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processors of a wagering game system for conducting a wagering game to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via an electronic input device, a physical input from a player as an indication of a wager to play the wagering game;

initializing, in response to an electronic data signal generated by the electronic input device responsive to the physical input from the player, presentation of the wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

randomly determining, based, at least in part, on a random element generated by an electronic random element generator, an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of available wagering-game outcomes;

displaying, via an electronic display device, the randomly determined outcome of the wagering game;

initializing a portal container and one or more portal applications, the one or more portal applications running within a runtime environment provided by the portal container, the one or more portal applications existing separately from the wagering game;

registering, by the one or more portal applications, with the portal container;

receiving, by a portal application of the one or more portal applications, a set of events supported by the portal container;

subscribing, by the portal application, to a subset of the set of events; and

notifying the portal application by the portal container upon occurrence of an event in the subset of the set of the events.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the event comprises a login event.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the event comprises insertion or removal of a player identification card.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the event comprises an event in a community based game.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the event in the community based game includes one or more of a game level achievement, a game trophy, or a game milestone.