Transporting and using wagering game data

• US 9,324,208 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Liber, Nevin J., Pacey, Larry J., Sylla, Craig J., Thomas, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Application Number:
  US13/953,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20130310183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include storing a copy of wagering game content of a wagering game on a portable data storage device while the portable data storage device is connected to a wagering game machine in a casino, the wagering game being played at the wagering game machine. The operations can further include disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine, the portable data storage device being configured to transport the copy of the wagering game content to play on a computing device outside the casino.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, via at least one of one or more processors, a copy of wagering game content of a wagering game, wherein the copy of the wagering game content is stored on a portable data storage device while the portable data storage device is connected to a wagering game machine in a casino, wherein the wagering game content comprises one or more of audio or graphical wagering game assets of the wagering game presentable as game play of the wagering game via one or more output devices of the wagering game machine, and wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of wagers on the wagering game; and

disconnecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine, the portable data storage device being configured to transport the copy of the wagering game content for presentation of play on a computing device outside the casino, wherein the computing device is a non-wagering game machine that is authorized to present the wagering game content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing the copy of the wagering game content on the portable data storage device is in response to detecting an event, during the wagering game, associated with a player account.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting the event comprises one or more of predicting that the wagering game content is preferred by the player account based on play history of the player account, detecting that the player account has not played the wagering game content, or detecting a request by the player account to one or more of buy or rent the copy of the wagering game content.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting the event comprises detecting that the player account has not completed playing the wagering game, and said operations further comprising, prior to disconnecting the portable data storage device, storing game history data on the portable data storage device, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to use the game history data to present a continuation of the wagering game on the computing device from a point at which the wagering game terminated play during a wagering game session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing the copy of the wagering game content on the portable data storage device comprises obtaining the copy of the wagering game content from a data storage accessible to the wagering game machine.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

locking access to the copy of the wagering game content until being unlocked via an authorized mechanism associated with the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing instructions on the portable data storage device to generate a secured virtual drive on the computing device when the portable data storage device connects to the computing device, wherein the secured virtual drive is configured to serve the wagering game content to the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, said operations further comprising:

storing licensing data for the wagering game content on the portable data storage device prior to disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the copy of the wagering game content to be used for non-wagering play when the portable data storage device is connected to the computing device.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing program code on the portable data storage device in addition to the copy of the wagering game content.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the program code is a server-side application configured to serve the copy of the wagering game content without copying game assets of the wagering game content to the computing device.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising configuring the program code to detect a geographic location of the computing device, and determine whether the computing device is located within an authorized gambling jurisdiction associated with the geographic location, wherein if the computing device is located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction, the wagering game content is authorized for use in a wagering session, and wherein if the computing device is not located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction the wagering game content is authorized for use in a non-wagering session.

10. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

storing a copy of wagering game content of a wagering game as a server-side application on a portable data storage device while the portable data storage device is connected to a wagering game machine in a casino, the wagering game being played at the wagering game machine, wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of wagers on the wagering game;

configuring the portable data storage device to serve the wagering game content to a computing device outside the casino without copying game assets of the wagering game content to the computing device; and

disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine, the portable data storage device being configured to transport the copy of the wagering game content to play on the computing device outside the casino.

11. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the operation of storing the copy of the wagering game content on the portable data storage device is in response to detecting an event, during the wagering game, associated with a player account.

12. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the operation of detecting the event comprises one or more of predicting that the wagering game content is preferred by the player account based on play history of the player account, detecting that the player account has not played the wagering game content, detecting that the player account has not completed playing the wagering game, detecting a request by the player account to one or more of buy and rent the copy of the wagering game content, detecting a request by the player account to download the copy of the wagering game content, and detecting a request by the player account to disconnect the portable data storage device.

13. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the operation of detecting the event comprises detecting that the player account has not completed playing the wagering game, and said operations further comprising, prior to disconnecting the portable data storage device, storing game history data on the portable data storage device, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to use the game history data to present a continuation of the wagering game on the computing device from a point at which the wagering game terminated play during a wagering game session.

14. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the operation of storing the copy of the wagering game content on the portable data storage device includes operations comprising obtaining the copy of the wagering game content from a data storage accessible to the wagering game machine.

15. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, said operations further comprising:

locking access to the copy of the wagering game content until being unlocked via an authorized mechanism associated with the computing device.

16. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, said operations further comprising storing instructions on the portable data storage device to generate a secured virtual drive on the computing device when the portable data storage device connects to the computing device, wherein the secured virtual drive is configured to serve the wagering game content to the computing device.

17. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, said operations further comprising:

storing licensing data for the wagering game content on the portable data storage device prior to disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine.

18. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to, after disconnecting from the wagering game machine,

connect to the computing device, wherein the computing device is a non-wagering game machine that is authorized to present the copy of the wagering game content,

detect a geographic location of the computing device;

and

determine whether the computing device is located within an authorized gambling jurisdiction associated with the geographic location, wherein if the computing device is located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction, the wagering game content is authorized for use in a wagering session, and wherein if the computing device is not located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction the wagering game content is authorized for use in a non-wagering session.

19. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, said operations further comprising configuring the copy of the wagering game content to be used for non-wagering play when the portable data storage device is connected to the computing device.

20. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to wirelessly transmit the copy of the wagering game content to a hand-held mobile device when the hand-held mobile device is within a given transmission range to the portable data storage device.

21. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory storage devices configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations to

store a copy of wagering game assets of a wagering game on a portable data storage device while the portable data storage device is connected to a wagering game machine in a casino, the wagering game being played at the wagering game machine, wherein the wagering game assets are configured to present wagering game play of the wagering game via one or more output devices of the wagering game machine, and wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of wagers on the wagering game, and

disconnect the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine, the portable data storage device being configured to transport the copy of the wagering game assets and serve the copy of the wagering game assets to a computing device outside the casino for presentation of the wagering game play on the computing device wherein the computing device is a non-wagering game machine that is authorized to present the wagering game content.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the operation to store the copy of the wagering game assets on the portable data storage device comprises an operation to store the wagering game assets on the portable data storage device as a server-side application, and wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations to configure the portable data storage device to serve the wagering game assets to the computing device without copying the wagering game assets to the computing device.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to, after disconnecting from the wagering game machine,

connect to the computing device, wherein the computing device is authorized to present the copy of the wagering game assets,

detect a geographic location of the computing device;

and

determine whether the computing device is located within an authorized gambling jurisdiction associated with the geographic location, wherein if the computing device is located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction, the wagering game assets is authorized for use in a wagering session, and wherein if the computing device is not located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction the wagering game assets is authorized for use in a non-wagering session.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to wirelessly transmit the copy of the wagering game assets to a hand-held mobile device when the hand-held mobile device is within a given transmission range to the portable data storage device.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the portable data storage device is configured to serve the copy of the wagering game assets to the computing device without copying the copy of the wagering game assets to the computing device.

29. A portable device comprising:

a processor;

a data communications port; and

a memory storage unit configured to store instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the portable device to perform operations to;

electronically communicate, via the data communications port, with a wagering game machine inside a casino, wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of wagers on a wagering game,

copy, via the data communications port, wagering game content of the wagering game from the wagering game machine,

connect to a computing device outside of the casino, wherein the computing device is a non-wagering game machine that is authorized to present the wagering game content,

detect a geographic location of the computing device, and

determine whether the computing device is located within an authorized gambling jurisdiction associated with the geographic location, wherein if the computing device is located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction, the wagering game content is authorized for use in a wagering session, and wherein if the computing device is not located within the authorized gambling jurisdiction the wagering game content is authorized for use in a non-wagering session.