Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CROSS PLATFORM PERSISTENT GAMING
SESSIONS USING A MOBILE DEVICE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material that is
subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it
appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves
all copyright
rights whatsoever.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure is directed to wagering games, gaming
machines,
networked gaming systems and methods, and in particular to cross platform
persistent
gaming sessions using a mobile device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In the past, various types of gaming machines have been developed
with
different features to captivate and maintain player interest. In general, a
gaming machine
allows a player to play a game in exchange for a wager. Depending on the
outcome of the
game, the player may be entitled to an award which is paid to the player by
the gaming
machine, normally in the form of currency or game credits. Gaming machines may
include
flashing displays, lighted displays, or sound effects to capture a player's
interest in a gaming
device. There is also the desire to incorporate mobile devices for game play;
however, there
are numerous obstacles to the use of mobile devices for game play, including
the lack of
ticket printers and bill acceptors.
[0004] Historically, there has been "Ticket-in-Ticket-Out" functionality in
gaming
machines. Briefly explained, when using "Ticket-in-Ticket-Out" functionality a
player
inserts cash into a gaming machine, but does not receive cash when pressing
"cash out."
Instead, he or she receives a paper ticket that may be further inserted into
the present or any
other gaming machine, or redeemed for cash by inserting into a kiosk.
[0005] While there is a desire to use mobile devices such as smart phones
as gaming
devices, there remains the problem that these mobile devices do not have
access to
traditional gaming peripherals such as ticket printers or bill acceptors. It
would be desirable
to allow mobile devices to participate in playing games with real money in a
casino
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environment, leveraging existing infrastructure in a way that makes sense to a
player. There
is a continuing need in the art to address these and other issues. For
example, some
establishments ban or otherwise limit indoor smoking. At gaming
establishments, gaming
machines are typically operated indoors. In this regard, bans on smoking may
directly
impact revenue at gaming establishments since active or participating players
may leave
their gaming machines to smoke. One study suggests that smoking bans may lead
to a
reduction in revenue of around 30%. While gaming machines could be operated
outdoors,
regulations generally limit gaming establishments to a certain number of
machines that may
be operated or otherwise ready for play. In this regard, situating gaming
machines outdoors
(i.e., in smoking-friendly areas) affects the number of gaming machines that
may be
operated indoors, and also carries with it inclement weather concerns that may
force gaming
establishments to expend time and money moving gaming machines indoors.
Therefore,
there remains a need to enable a player to use a gaming machine vis-d-vis a
second mobile
computing device to address these and other issues.
SUMMARY
[0006] Briefly, and in general terms, various embodiments are directed to
systems and
methods that enable cross platform persistent gaming sessions using a mobile
device in a
mobile device-enhanced system.
[0007] In some embodiments, a method may include enabling a cross platform
gaming
session in a system that includes a gaming machine that presents a game, and a
computing
device distinct from the gaming machine, both in communication with one
another. The
method may include associating the computing device with the gaming machine.
The
computing device may have one or more displays. The method may include
receiving, by
the computing device, reformatted graphical data from the gaming machine. The
method
may include presenting the game on the one or more displays of the computing
device using
the reformatted graphical data.
[0008] In some embodiments, a system for enabling a cross platform gaming
session for
presentment of a game may include a gaming machine. The system may include a
computing device having one or more displays. The computing device may be
distinct from
the gaming machine and may be operable to associate with the gaming machine.
The
computing device may be operable to receive reformatted graphical data from
the gaming
machine. The computing device may be operable to present the game on the one
or more
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displays of the computing device using the reformatted graphical data. The
gaming
machine may be operable to associate with the computing device. The gaming
machine
may be operable to receive user input data from the computing device. The
gaming
machine may be operable to control the game while the game is being presented
on the
computing device.
[0009] In some embodiments, a system for enabling a cross platform gaming
session
may include one or more memories in communication with one or more hardware
processors of one or more computing devices. The one or more memories may have
instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the one or more
computing
devices, may cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations
that may
include associating a first computing device with a second computing device.
The second
computing device may have one or more displays. The first computing device may
be a
gaming machine distinct from the second computing device. The operations may
include
transmitting, by the first computing device, reformatted graphical data to the
second
computing device. The operations may include presenting the reformatted
graphical data on
the one or more displays of the second computing device using the reformatted
graphical
data thereby resulting in display of a game.
[0010] In some embodiments, a method for reformatting original graphical
content
designed for presentation on a gaming machine for presentation on a mobile
computing
device for which the original graphical content was not originally designed
may include
transmitting, by the mobile computing device, display information associated
with a display
on the mobile computing device to the gaming machine. The gaming machine may
be
separate from the mobile computing device. The method may include receiving,
by the
gaming machine, the display information transmitted by the mobile computing
device. The
method may include determining, by the gaming machine, a resolution or aspect
ratio
associated with the original graphical content. The method may include
reformatting the
original graphical content based on the resolution or aspect ratio associated
with the original
graphical content and the display information received from the mobile
computing device.
[0011] In some embodiments, a system for reformatting original graphical
content
designed for a gaming machine for presentation on a mobile computing device
for which
the original graphical content was not originally designed may include a
gaming machine
design to present the original graphical content. The gaming machine may be
separate from
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the mobile computing device. The system may include at least one display on
the mobile
computing device. The gaming machine and the mobile computing device may be
operable
to be in communication with one another. The mobile computing device may be
operable
to transmit display information associated with the at least one display on
the mobile
computing device to the gaming machine. The gaming machine may be operable to
receive
the display information transmitted by the mobile computing device. The gaming
machine
may be operable to determine a resolution or aspect ratio associated with the
original
graphical content. The gaming machine may be operable to reformat the original
graphical
content based on the resolution or aspect ratio associated with the original
graphical content
and the display information received from the mobile computing device.
[0012] In some embodiments, a method for reformatting original graphical
content
designed for presentation on a gaming machine for presentation on a mobile
computing
device for which the original graphical content was not originally designed
may include
transmitting, by the mobile computing device, display information associated
with a display
on the mobile computing device to the gaming machine. The gaming machine may
be
separate from the mobile computing device. The method may include receiving,
by the
gaming machine, the display information transmitted by the mobile computing
device. The
method may include determining, by the gaming machine, display information
associated
with a display on the gaming machine. The method may include reformatting the
original
graphical content based on the display information associated with the display
on the
gaming machine and the display information received from the mobile computing
device.
[0013] In some embodiments, a system for reformatting original graphical
content
designed for a gaming machine for presentation on a mobile computing device
for which
the original graphical content was not originally designed may include a
gaming machine
design to present the original graphical content. The gaming machine may be
separate from
the mobile computing device. The system may include at least one display on
the mobile
computing device. The gaming machine and the mobile computing device may be
operable
to be in communication with one another. The mobile computing device may be
operable
to transmit display information associated with the at least one display on
the mobile
computing device to the gaming machine. The gaming machine may be operable to
receive
the display information transmitted by the mobile computing device. The gaming
machine
may be operable to determine a resolution or aspect ratio associated with a
display on the
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gaming machine. The gaming machine may be operable to reformat the original
graphical
content based on the resolution or aspect ratio associated with the display on
the gaming
machine and the display information received from the mobile computing device.
[0014] Features and advantages will become apparent from the following
detailed
description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which
illustrate by way
of example, the features of the various embodiments. Of course, the foregoing
summary
does not encompass the claimed invention in its entirety, nor are the
embodiments intended
to be limiting. Rather, the embodiments are provided as mere examples.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an Alpha cabinet running the game "Total Blast."
[0016] FIG. lA illustrates one embodiment of a gaming machine running the
game "Ole
Jalapenos" in a normal play mode.
[0017] FIG. 1B illustrates one embodiment of a gaming machine running the
game "Ole
Jalapenos" in a streamed play mode.
[0018] FIG. 1C illustrates one embodiment of a gaming machine running the
game "Ole
Jalapenos" in a normal play mode.
[0019] FIG. 1D illustrates one embodiment of a gaming machine running the
game "Ole
Jalapenos" in a streamed play mode.
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates the game Total Blast as served by streaming
server to an
electronic gaming machine.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a logic flow diagram of a process for a player
leaving an
electronic gaming machine.
[0022] FIG. 3A illustrates one embodiment of a process that readies a
mobile device for
a remote gaming session.
[0023] FIG. 3B illustrates one embodiment of a process that enables
initiation of a
remote gaming session on a mobile device.
[0024] FIG. 3C illustrates one embodiment of a process that enables
termination of a
remote gaming session on a mobile device.
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[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates an example output shown to player on mobile
device at end of
electronic gaming machine session.
[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a main screen and iDeck (e.g., virtual button
deck) streamed to
mobile device.
[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates the game Total Blast as served by streaming
server to a mobile
device.
[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates a process for player with mobile game session
approaching an
electronic gaming machine.
[0029] FIG. 8 illustrates an iView display message for player.
[0030] FIG. 9 illustrates the game Total Blast as served by streaming
server to an
electronic gaming machine and mobile device for replicated iDeck.
[0031] FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of the Mobile Wallet application.
[0032] FIG. 11 illustrates a player's perspective of the operation of a
preferred
embodiment.
[0033] FIG. 12 illustrates a system overview.
[0034] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a Kiosk implementation.
[0035] FIG. 14 illustrates Kiosk integration using the Mobile Wallet
Application for
funding.
[0036] FIG. 15 illustrates a Kiosk Mobile device funding without player
card.
[0037] FIG. 16 illustrates a Kiosk Mobile device funding with player card.
[0038] FIG. 17 illustrates an electronic gaming machine receiving funding
from a
mobile device without using a player card.
[0039] FIG. 18 illustrates an electronic gaming machine receiving funding
from a player
card.
[0040] FIG. 19 illustrates a Mobile application to perform association with
an electronic
gaming machine.
[0041] FIG. 20 illustrates an electronic gaming machine artwork with QR
code for
mobile association.
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[0042] FIG. 21 illustrates a mobile version of game with mobile wallet
integration.
[0043] FIG. 22 illustrates an overall process for combined game play
between a mobile
device and an electronic gaming machine without using a player card.
[0044] FIG. 23 illustrates an overall process for combined game play
between a mobile
device and an electronic gaming machine with a player card.
[0045] FIG. 24 illustrates a Kiosk redemption embodiment from a mobile
device
without player card.
[0046] FIG. 25 illustrates a Kiosk redemption embodiment with a player
card.
[0047] FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a gaming machine in accordance with
one or
more embodiments.
[0048] FIG. 27 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a gaming
machine.
[0049] FIG. 28a is a block diagram of the physical and logical components
of the
gaming machine of FIG 26.
[0050] FIG. 28b is a block diagram of the physical and logical components
of the
gaming machine of FIG 26.
[0051] FIG. 29 is a block diagram of the logical components of a gaming
kernel in
accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
[0052] FIG. 30a is a schematic block diagram showing the hardware elements
of a
networked gaming system in accordance with one or more embodiments.
[0053] FIG. 30b is a schematic block diagram showing the hardware elements
of a
networked gaming system in accordance with one or more embodiments.
[0054] FIG. 31A illustrates a screen shot of game content associated with a
Bally V22
game ("Ole Jalapenos"), which is displayed across two landscape oriented 1.77
aspect ratio
displays in the embodiment shown.
[0055] FIG. 31B illustrates a screen shot of game content associated with a
Bally V32
game ("All That Jazz"), which is displayed across one portrait oriented 1.77
aspect ratio
display in the embodiment shown.
[0056] FIG. 31C illustrates a screen shot of game content associated with a
Bally iDeck
display having an aspect ratio of 5.29 in the embodiment shown.
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[0057] FIG. 32A shows two mobile device displays presenting reformatted
content
corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A-C according to one
embodiment.
[0058] FIG. 32B shows two mobile device displays presenting reformatted
content
corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A-C according to one
embodiment
[0059] FIG. 32C shows the two mobile devices shown in FIGS. 32A-B
presenting
reformatted content corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A-C
according
to another embodiment.
[0060] FIG. 32D shows the two mobile devices shown in FIGS. 32A-B
presenting
reformatted content corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A-C
according
to another embodiment.
[0061] FIG. 32E shows the two mobile devices shown in FIGS. 32A-B
presenting
reformatted content corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A-C
according
to another embodiment.
[0062] FIG. 32F shows the two mobile devices shown in FIGS. 32A-B
presenting
reformatted content corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A-C
according
to another embodiment.
[0063] FIG. 33 illustrates one example of a process associated with the
reformatting of
content according to one embodiment.
[0064] FIG. 34 illustrates one example of a display on a mobile device
presenting
reformatted content corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A
and 31C
according to one embodiment.
[0065] FIG. 35A illustrates two different mobile devices having different
display
characteristics displaying two different games in the portrait orientation
using the process
illustrated in FIG. 33 according to one embodiment.
[0066] FIG. 35B illustrates two different mobile devices having different
display
characteristics displaying two different games in the portrait orientation
using the process
illustrated in FIG. 33 according to one embodiment.
[0067] FIG. 35C illustrates two different mobile devices having different
display
characteristics displaying two different games in the portrait orientation
using the process
illustrated in FIG. 33 according to one embodiment.
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[0068] FIG. 35D illustrates two different mobile devices having different
display
characteristics displaying two different games in the portrait orientation
using the process
illustrated in FIG. 33 according to one embodiment.
[0069] FIG. 36 illustrates one example of a process for determining optimum
orientation according to one embodiment.
[0070] FIG. 37A illustrates a mobile device display presenting reformatted
content in a
landscape orientation corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A
and 31C
according to one embodiment.
[0071] FIG. 37B illustrates a mobile device display presenting reformatted
content in a
landscape orientation corresponding to the original content shown in FIGS. 31A
and 31C
according to one embodiment
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0072] Various embodiments are directed to a game, gaming machine, gaming
systems
and method for playing a game, wherein the gaming system includes cross
platform
persistent gaming sessions using a mobile device. The embodiments are
illustrated and
described herein, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation.
Referring now to
the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-30b, there are shown
illustrative examples of
games, gaming machines, gaming systems and methods for playing a game in
accordance
with various aspects of the gaming system which includes cross platform
persistent gaming
sessions using a mobile device.
[0073] An example in accordance with one or more aspects of a disclosed
embodiment
is shown in FIGS. 1-9. A preferred embodiment of a gaming system 100 (shown in
FIGS. 2, 6 and 9) includes cross platform persistent gaming sessions using a
mobile
device 110 (shown in FIGS. 4-6 and 9). One aspect of a preferred embodiment is
directed
towards leveraging mobile devices 110 to enable players to continue playing a
game 120
(shown in FIG. 1) beyond when it is convenient for them to be located at an
electronic
gaming machine (EGM) 130 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 8). Otherwise stated, a player
may use
a mobile device 110 to continue playing a game 120 after the player has left
the proximity
of an EGM 130 by transferring (e.g., streaming from the EGM over a network to
the mobile
device, from a server over a network to the mobile device, or from another
streaming
source) the game from the EGM to the mobile device (i.e., a cross platform
persistent
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gaming session). In some embodiments, the game 120 can also be transferred
back from
the mobile device 110 to the EGM 130.
[0074] In another aspect of a preferred embodiment, the mobile device-
enhanced
system 100 enables superior interaction with an EGM 130 via a player-held
mobile
device 110 such as a smartphone. A preferred embodiment of this mobile device-
enhanced
system 100 uses streaming video technology to deliver the game content 120;
however,
other embodiments of this system may also use conventional thick-client
technology (i.e.,
all or most of the required content and processing are located and performed
at the client
instead of being transmitted from another source).
[0075] A preferred embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100
provides
significant types of functionality that were not previously possible. As shown
in FIGS. 3
and 7, the mobile device-enhanced system 100 enables a player may continue
playing a
game 120 after leaving an EGM 130 by transferring the game to the player's
mobile
device 110. Second, the mobile device-enhanced system 100 enables a player who
is
playing a game 120 on a mobile device 110 to seamlessly transfer their game
120 to an
EGM 130 for an enhanced gaming experience. In this regard, the systems and
methods
disclosed herein enable the streaming of game content from EGMs to secondary
computing
devices, such as computing devices (e.g., any computing device, such as a
laptop, tablet
computer, smartphone, or the like) controlled by or otherwise used by a
player. The
secondary computing devices may be removed from an EGM by a player (e.g., to
outside a
gaming establishment, near a bathroom, in a bathroom, at a bar, to a different
EGM, or any
other location away from the EGM within or outside a gaming establishment). In
some
embodiments, the EGM from which the player transfers his or her game enters a
non-
playable state (e.g., "reserved" or "remotely in use" state) rendering it
inoperable by another
player until, for example, the gaming session on the secondary computing
device is ended.
In another embodiment, the non-playable state terminates after a set period of
inactivity.
[0076] FIG. 1 shows an example of an Alpha 2 EGM 130 executing the game
"Total
Blast," which was developed by Bally Gaming, Inc. This game drives three video
displays:
the main screen, the top screen, and an iDeck (or other virtual button deck).
The EGM 130
also has a display driven by an iView (or other player tracking module) and
associated
peripherals, such as a player tracking card reader.
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[0077] In one embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, a player
inserts a
player tracking card into the card reader before commencing wagering. This
action of
inserting the player tracking card associates the wagering session with their
player account.
In this embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, the player also
has in their
possession a mobile device 110, preferably a smartphone. This smartphone has
an
application loaded into it that is capable of receiving and displaying a video
stream over a
network 140 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 9) and passing player input back over the
network in
reaction to events displayed in the video stream. The application is also
capable of
communicating with a game server 160 (shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 9) over a
network 140 to
establish game sessions. Moreover, in this embodiment of the mobile device-
enhanced
system 100, the EGM 130 is also running application software capable of
receiving video
streams and displaying the video streams, along with software to control
passing player
input back over the network 140 to a game server 160.
[0078] Referring now to FIG. 2, a system configuration is shown that
illustrates how the
video streams from the game "Total Blast" may be directed to the EGM 130 using
the
mobile device-enhanced system 100. In this embodiment of the mobile device-
enhanced
system 100, there is a Stream Redirector module 150 (shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and
9)
interposed between the game server 160 and the EGM 130. In some embodiments,
the
Stream Redirector module 150 is employed as a display manager that manages the
game
display on the gaming machine. This Stream Redirector module 150 may not be a
physical
module (i.e., the Stream Redirector module 150 may be a software (or virtual)
module). In
this embodiment, the Stream Redirector module 150 is depicted as a separate
module. Also
for the purposes of clarity, player input is not shown in FIG. 2. In this
embodiment of the
mobile device-enhanced system 100, player input passes in the opposite
direction from
touchscreen displays to the Stream Redirector module 150 and into the virtual
game
instance.
[0079] As disclosed herein, one or more games may be streamed to a gaming
machine 130 or a mobile device 110 over a network 160 such as the internet, a
wireless
network, or the like. The gaming machine 130 and/or mobile device 110 which is
bound to
receive graphical data from the server 160, may include a network interface, a
decompression module for each display and/or each compressed data stream,
video
memory, a video encoder for each display, and displays.
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[0080] The server 160 may include software executable on one or more
processors, one
or more graphics processors, video memory associated with the one or more
graphics
processors, one or more compression modules, and a network interface. In other
embodiments, the server 160 streams a plurality of games to a plurality of
gaming
machines 130 and/or mobile devices 110 connected to the network 140.
[0081] The software may include software for one or more games 120. In some
embodiments, a processor, graphics processor, video memory, and compression
module
may be dedicated for each instance of gaming software. In other embodiments,
one or more
of the following may be dedicated for each instance of gaming software: a
processor,
graphics processor, video memory, and compression. For example, in some
embodiments,
a single processor may execute each instance of gaming software, but transmit
graphical
data to one or more graphics processors reserved for each of the games (i.e.,
four graphics
processors, one for each game). Other embodiments may have different
configurations of
these and other components.
[0082] The one or more graphics processors receive graphical data generated
as a result
of the software being executed on the one or more processors. Upon receiving
graphical
data, at least one graphics processor renders the data into a frame of a
particular format and
may store the rendered frame in video memory. At least one compression module
may then
receive the frame for compression, and compresses (i.e., encode) the frame.
Once the frame
is compressed, the compressed frame may be sent to the network interface for
transmission
via a transport protocol over the communication network to the gaming machine
130 and/or
mobile device 110.
[0083] In some embodiments, one or more system components may be added or
removed from the system. For example, in some embodiments, some or all of the
graphical
data generated at the server 160 may not be compressed by a compression module
prior to
transmission to the gaming machine 130 or mobile device 110. Therefore, the
server 160
may not include one or more compression modules. Otherwise stated, some or all
of the
graphical data may not be compressed after being rendered by a graphics
processor.
[0084] In the embodiment, the gaming machine includes a display manager
(e.g., stream
redirector 150). In other embodiments, the server 160 may include one or more
stream
redirector 150 instead of the gaming machine 130 (e.g., one for each gaming
machine). In
yet other embodiments, a network component such as a router may include a
stream
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redirector 150 instead of the server 160 or gaming machine 130. In yet further
embodiments, the server 160, gaming machine 130, a network component, or
combinations
thereof may include a stream redirector 150.
[0085] The stream redirector 150 conducts display management processing on
graphical
data, which may include rescaling (e.g., resizing) and repositioning (e.g.,
changing display
area coordinates) the graphical data while maintaining the aspect ratio of the
graphical data.
For example, the display management processing may assemble or composite two
or more
streams of graphical data into a single stream of graphical data. Otherwise
stated, the
display management processing may take two frames of data and convert them
into a single
frame of data. In addition, the stream redirector 150 may receive touch data
(i.e., touch
signals) from the displays, route the touch data, and conduct coordinate
transformations if
necessary, to the processor executing the game 120 with which the touch data
is associated.
[0086] For example, shown in Figure lA is a gaming machine 100a for
presenting a
game. The gaming machine 100a has a first display 102a for displaying content
104a, a
second display 102b for displaying content 104b, and a third display 102c for
displaying
content 104c. It will be appreciated that any number of displays may be used.
As shown,
gaming machine 100a is in normal play mode. It is understood that one or more
of these
displays may be a touchscreen display and function as a player input device.
In the
embodiment shown, content 104a depicts the title graphics corresponding to the
game being
displayed by the gaming machine 100a, content 104b depicts reel graphics
corresponding to
the game being displayed, and content 104c depicts virtual button display deck
(e.g., iDeck)
graphics. In normal mode, the game and operating system operate as would
normally be
expected. For example, a first player may approach the gaming machine 100a to
play the
game displayed thereon.
[0087] Figure 1C is another representation of the normal play mode of
gaming
machine 100a shown in Figure 1A. Figure 1C also shows one embodiment of the
gaming
machine 100a (e.g., the interaction and communication pathways between
displays and the
operating system. In the embodiment shown, the game or game module 110a may be
installed on a memory accessible to one or more processors of the gaming
machine 100a.
Of course, in other embodiments, the game or game module 110a may not be
installed
locally on the gaming machine 100a. Instead, the game or game module 110a may
be
processed by a server (e.g., game server), which may send data (e.g.,
graphical, audio, and
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any other data) over a network for presentment by the gaming machine 100a.
Referring
back to Figure 1C, in the embodiment shown, the gaming machine 100a may
include an
operating system 112a. The game module 110a may communicate with the operating
system 112a, the latter of which may perform calls to graphics hardware via
standard
application interfaces such as OpenGL. The graphics hardware (e.g., a GPU) may
include
two distinct video adapters such as a primary adapter and a secondary adapter.
In one
embodiment, the primary adapter may be an NVidia video adapter and the
secondary
adapter may be an Intel video adapter. The Intel video adapter may be onboard
the graphics
hardware (e.g., GPU). In the embodiment shown, three video outputs are
shown¨two from
the primary video adapter and one from the secondary video adapter. The
primary video
adapter card is shown outputting DVI video signals to the first display 102a
and the second
display 102b. The secondary video adapter is shown outputting VGA video
signals to the
third display 102c. Of course, other embodiments may only include one video
adapter, may
include one or more displays, and may include a video output for each display.
Though not
shown, some embodiments of the gaming machine 100a may include a fourth video
output
that is supplied by, for example, the secondary video adapter to driver a
topper. Because a
topper may not necessarily display important gaming content, the fourth video
signal may
not be streamed to a secondary computing device during remote play.
[0088] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1B, the game software 110a
interacts with
the displays of the gaming machine 100a through the operating system 112a. By
modifying
the operation of the operating system 112a, redirection of video content or
other gaming
content (e.g., audio content, haptic feedback content, or any other game
content) is enabled
without the game software 110a being aware of the redirection. Therefore,
regulations
controlling the game software 110a do not come into play nor are considered
since the game
itself, according to the regulations, is not being altered.
[0089] Continuing with the example shown in Figures lA and 1C, and now
referring to
Figure 1B, the gaming machine 100a is shown in a streamed mode with other
system
components. In this embodiment, the gaming machine 100a is in communication
with the
secondary device 106a (shown as an iPad in this specific embodiment) over a
network using
one or more communication protocols. In this specific embodiment, the gaming
machine 100a is in communication with a wireless network access point 108a via
an
Ethernet connection, and the secondary device 106a is in communication with
the wireless
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network access point 108a such that the secondary computing device 106a may
receive data
from the gaming machine 100a. Otherwise stated, the rendered output from the
game
display on the gaming machine 100a may instead be encoded and streamed over
Ethernet
and then WiFi to a secondary computing device 106a (e.g., any mobile device,
such as an
iPad). The player may press or otherwise touch the iPad display (or provide
any appropriate
input on any computing device using any input device such as a keyboard,
mouse,
touchpad) on the streamed representation. In some embodiments, a streamed
representation
of a virtual button deck may be displayed to the player on his or her
secondary computing
device 106a. Data representative of the player's inputs on the secondary
computing
device 106a is sent from the secondary computing device to the gaming machine
100a to
simulate activation of inputs thereon (e.g., simulating a player activating a
virtual bet button
on a virtual button deck).
[0090] In other
embodiments, a server in communication with the gaming machine 100a
may transmit data to the wireless network access point 108 instead of the
gaming
machine 100a itself For example, instead of the gaming machine 100a re-
transmitting data
(whether modified or not by, for example, a stream redirector module) that it
received from
the server, the gaming machine 100a may transmit data to the server
representative of a
player input indicative of a player's desire to play the game on his or her
secondary
computing device. Upon receiving and processing such data, the server may
transmit game
data to the secondary computing device 106a directly, without using the gaming
machine 100a as a router. In such an embodiment, the server may transmit game
data to the
gaming machine 100a and the secondary computing device 106a. For example, the
game
data transmitted to the gaming machine 100a may result in one or more of the
displays of
the gaming machine 100a displaying that the gaming machine is being used
remotely. The
game data transmitted to the secondary computing device 106a may be
transmitted through
a stream redirector module (e.g., a display manager) to, for example, rescale
and reposition
one or more graphical streams of data for presentment on one or more displays
of the
secondary computing device.
[0091] Whether
connecting to the gaming machine 100a, the server, or any other system
component, the secondary computing device may transmit device specific
information (i.e.,
device specific characteristics) for processing and analysis. For example, the
secondary
computing device may transmit information regarding how many displays it has,
the
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physical size of its one or more displays, the resolutions available on its
one or more
displays, whether one or more displays have touchscreen capabilities, the
processing
capabilities of the secondary computing device (e.g., CPU info, GPU info, and
any other
processing capability info), and any other information associated with the
secondary
computing device that the gaming machine 100a, the server, or any other system
component
may receive and/or analyze. The device specific information may be used by the
gaming
machine 100a, the server, or any other system component to rescale and
reposition one or
more streams of data accordingly.
[0092] In streamed mode, the displays on the gaming machine 100a may no
longer
display the game. Rather, in some embodiments, the gaming machine 100a may
display
messages indicating that the game is reserved and in use by a player. For
example, the first
player that approached the gaming machine 100a may decide to leave the
immediate
proximity of the gaming machine 100a, but may desire to continue play thereon
via his or
her secondary computing device 106a. Once play of the game is initiated on the
first
player's secondary computing device 106a, the first player may leave the
gaming
machine 100a without fear that a second player will approach the gaming
machine and
engage in play of the game (e.g., wagering the first player's credits, cashing
out, or any
other play or action not authorized by the first player). This is because a
second player
approaching the gaming machine 100a would perceive a "game in use" message or
other
equivalent message or criteria on one or more of the displays of the gaming
machine 100a.
As disclosed herein, one or more timers may be displayed on one or more of the
displays of
the gaming machine 100a that may indicate to the second player one or more of
the
following: (1) when the remote play on the first player's secondary computing
device 106a
will automatically be suspended (e.g., remote play may be limited to a time
period
according to some embodiments¨the time period may be high or low depending on
the
amount of money the player is willing to wager, the credit denominations being
used, and
how much money the player has already lost or won), (2) when the gaming
machine 100a
(or server in communication with the gaming machine 100a) will query whether
the first
player wishes to continue remote play via the secondary computing device 106a
(e.g., by
displaying a message on a display of the device 106), or (3) how long the
player playing the
game typically presented on the gaming machine 100a has been playing remotely.
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[0093] Figure 1D is another representation of the streamed play mode of
gaming
machine 100a shown in Figure 1B. Figure 1D also shows one embodiment of the
gaming
machine 100a (e.g., the interaction and communication pathways between
displays and the
operating system). In the embodiment shown, a suitable "game reserved" image
or the like
is presented on each display of the gaming machine 100a. The content that
would normally
be displayed is instead redirected to a reformatting module 114a (e.g., a
display manager)
that combines the content typically displayed on the displays of the gaming
machine 100a
such as the top box frame graphical data, main screen graphical data, and
virtual button
deck graphical data. The module 114a passes the combined content to a stream
encoder 116a (e.g., a compression module). The stream encoder 116a may also
receive
audio associated with the game 110a, as shown. Encoded data (e.g., audio
content and
combined video content) may be sent to the secondary computing device 106a
from the
stream encoder 116a over a network.
[0094] The systems and methods disclosed herein may utilize or otherwise be
complemented by the teachings disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent
Application
No. 13/273,555, titled Streaming Bitrate Control and Management. Accordingly,
U.S.
Patent Application No. 13/273,555 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by
reference. The
systems and methods disclosed herein may utilize or otherwise be complemented
by the
teachings disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application No. 13/273,611,
titled
Graphics Processing Unit Memory Usage Reduction. Accordingly, U.S. Patent
Application
No. 13/273,611 is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
[0095] In one embodiment, the content sent to the reformatting module 114a
is
uncompressed frame buffers generated by execution of OpenGL libraries. The
output from
the reformatting module may be an image that is appropriate for the secondary
computing
device 106a. For example, the image may be reformatted to have the correct
aspect ratio in
view of the size and other characteristics of the one or more displays of the
secondary
computing device 106a. In some embodiments, the stream encoder 116a may
receive a
smaller image to encode than if a raw unformatted image was encoded because
the
module 114a may combine and reduce the image size of the content. Therefore,
the
systems and methods disclosed herein not only enable streaming of content to a
secondary
computing device and compressing that content before delivery, but also enable
reduction in
bandwidth consumption due a reduction in image size, and in some embodiments,
a
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reduction in the number of frame buffers being compressed (e.g., three frame
buffers are
combined into one frame buffer before compression thereof).
[0096] In the embodiment shown, the stream encoder module 116a encodes
image data
according to an H.264 encoding scheme (i.e., encoding algorithm) resulting in
an H.264
data stream. Latency may be further reduced by tuning the H.264 codec to not
use B frames
or look-ahead techniques. The audio content may be encoded according to MP3 or
AAC
encoding schemes. In other embodiments, different video and audio encoding
schemes may
be used. The encoded data may be multiplexed and encapsulated into a transport
stream
such as MPEG2-TS, Xiph OGG, or Adobe FLV. Of course, other transport streams
may be
used.
[0097] The transport stream may be sent over the network to the secondary
computing
device 106a. In the embodiment shown, the transport stream is sent over the
Ethernet port
connected to the gaming machine 100a using a suitable protocol such as RTSP.
The
secondary computing device 106a may receive the transport stream over WiFi,
decode the
transport stream, and display the data output corresponding thereto (e.g.,
video content and
audio content). If the player touches one or more displays of the secondary
computing
device 106a, a touch coordinate may be transmitted back over the network
(e.g., the
WiFi/Ethernet link) to the gaming machine 100a for coordinate translation
processing. In
one embodiment, touch data may be transmitted back to the operating system
112a for the
coordinate translation processing. The coordinate translation processing
translates the
coordinates of the touch data received and determines which display of the
gaming
machine 100a is being used and where on the display to map it to. The mapped
(i.e.,
translated coordinate) may then be used to determine whether the touch data is
a valid input
and calls for certain functionality (e.g., a bet, change number of pay lines,
spin reels, hit in
Black Jack, spin the wheel in Roulette, or any other function related to any
input for any
game). For example, if the player touches the bottom of the iPad display, the
touch data
may be translated or otherwise mapped to the appropriate point on the touch
screen on the
virtual button deck. Continuing with the example, the translated touch data
may then be
sent to the virtual button deck (e.g., iDeck) driver module for processing.
[0098] In other embodiments, data other than "game in use" messages or
similar
messages may be presented on one or more displays of the gaming machine 100a.
The
other data may include the game data itself In one embodiment, for example,
the game
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may be presented on the gaming machine 100a as it is played by the player
using his or her
secondary computing device 106a. In such an embodiment, the gaming machine
100a may
generate excitement in the establishment, which may lead prospective players
(e.g., people
walking by the gaming machine 100a) to be drawn in to watch the action (and
possibly start
playing gaming machines next to or in the vicinity of the gaming machine
100a). For
example, a slot machine style gaming machine may spin the reels on one or more
displays
of a gaming machine based on the play of the game on the secondary computing
device
(i.e., when the virtual reels spin on the secondary computing device, they
also spin on the
gaming machine associated with the remote play). The input devices on the
gaming
machine 100a may be inoperable to ensure that the remote gaming session is not
sabotaged
by an unknown player.
[0099] In some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed herein enable
a
player, such as the second player in the example above, to schedule a remote
gaming
session to follow an active remote gaming session. For example, the second
player in the
example above may be disappointed to find that his favorite gaming machine is
not only in
use, but is being remotely played. In one embodiment, the second player may be
forced to
check back at a later time. However, in some embodiments, the second player
may
schedule or otherwise reserve the gaming machine for a second remote gaming
session that
would follow the first player's remote session once it ends. In such
embodiments, the
second player's secondary computing device may receive a message (e.g., from
the gaming
machine 100a, a server, or any other computing device) indicating that the
gaming
machine 100a is available for remote play. If another player is "in line" or
otherwise
scheduled for remote play before the second player (i.e., now third player),
the third
player's secondary computing device may receive a message (e.g., from the
gaming
machine 100a, a server, or any other computing device) indicating that the
gaming
machine 100a is available for remote play by the second player, which serves
as a status
update to the third player.
[00100] In some embodiments, once a player that has reserved a remote gaming
session
receives a message on his secondary computing device indicating that the
gaming
machine 100a is available, the player may be presented with options. One
option may be
that he or she can choose to forgo the reservation and choose not to initiate
a remote gaming
session, in which case the next player "in line" may be queried. Another
option may be that
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he or she may choose a "local play" option where the player is afforded enough
time to go
to the actual gaming machine 100a to play. In some embodiments, the player may
be
afforded 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or any amount of time
deemed
appropriate. If the "local play" option is selected by the player, the player
may be required
to pay for every minute of play that the gaming machine 100a is not in use
(i.e., for every
minute that elapses without the player activating any inputs at the gaming
machine 100a).
Of course, another option may be that he or she may choose to initiate the
remote gaming
session thereby rendering the actual gaming machine 100a inoperable by another
player in
view of the remote use thereof
[00101] As disclosed herein, the systems and methods enable a safe streaming
mode for a
player to confidently leave a gaming machine while playing the corresponding
game on his
or her secondary computing device. In some embodiments, a safe streaming mode
includes
ensuring no other player may interact with the gaming machine while the gaming
machine
is remotely being played. For example, in one embodiment, a bill acceptor or
ticket
acceptor is configured such that it will not receive a bill/ticket while the
gaming machine is
engaged in remote play. The gaming machine is also configured to not enable
initiation of
game play while the gaming machine is engaged in remote play. The gaming
machine may
also be configured to not allow a cash-out event (e.g., issuance of a TITO
voucher) while
engaged in remote play unless the system verifies the cash-out event is being
initiated by
the player engaged in the remote play. Thus, it is understood that the systems
and methods
disclosed herein enable a secure gaming environment by preventing another
player from
illegitimately commandeering the gaming machine without the consent of the
player who is
engaged in remote play. In some embodiments, a secondary computing device of
the player
may be associated with any gaming machine and any venue.
[00102] Referring now to FIG. 3, a process is shown using the mobile device-
enhanced
system 100 that illustrates what occurs when a player needs to leave an EGM
130, yet
would rather continue playing. Examples of why a player may wish to continue
playing
could include, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation: (1)
Qualification for a
goal such as a bonus round, (2) A perceived lucky streak; and (3) A high
progressive
jackpot that the player feels is obtainable.
[00103] Despite wishing to continue, a player may nevertheless have no option
but to
leave the vicinity of the EGM 130 for a pre-existing engagement or even to
catch a flight
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home. By using the mobile device-enhanced system 100, a player may continue
playing the
gaming session until the player is out of network range.
[00104] In one embodiment, when a player leaves an EGM 130 while using the
mobile
device-enhanced system 100, the player removes their player tracking card from
the player
tracking card reader. If the player wishes to continue playing the gaming
session on their
mobile device 110, the player may signal appropriately by selecting an icon or
other
command on the EGM 130 or iView display (or other player tracking module
display).
[00105] In yet another embodiment, the mobile device-enhanced system 100 may
employ an EGM 130 that incorporates a Bluetooth transmission system. In such
an
embodiment, when a player is seated at the EGM 130, an application running on
their
mobile device 110 is also Bluetooth-enabled and is in communication with the
EGM. This
establishes a link between the game session and the mobile device 110. When
the player
moves out of Bluetooth transmission range from the EGM 130, or the Bluetooth
transmission link is otherwise broken, the game session link may continue to
be active from
the game server 160, even though it is not continuously connected.
[00106] Continuing now with respect to FIG. 3, as a player leaves the EGM 130
their
account is disassociated with the EGM 130. If a game session is not currently
in progress
(e.g., if no credits are active), and there is no progress state associated
with the game
session, then the gaming session is terminated and no action is performed.
[00107] However, when using mobile device-enhanced system 100, if a gaming
session
is in progress when a player leaves the EGM 130, the player is presented with
an option to
move their experience to their mobile device. This presentation may take place
on either or
both of the EGM 130 and mobile device 110. In another aspect of the mobile
device-
enhanced system 100, to further notify the player of the mobile gaming
options, the player's
mobile device 110 may vibrate or play a sound to bring attention the
possibility of
continuing the game. Such a notification is shown in FIG. 4.
[0100] If a player doesn't wish to continue playing the session, the game
session is
terminated. Any credits or game state are preserved in the player account for
later use.
Otherwise, the Stream Redirector module 150 modifies the output of the video
streams to
suit the mobile device 110, and begins sending the video streams to the mobile
device via a
network 140 (e.g., which is preferably WiFi, but is also possible over a
cellular data
connection if gaming regulations permit).
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[0101] Referring now to FIG. 5, an embodiment is shown using the mobile
device-
enhanced system 100 that illustrates how the "Total Blast" game may be
presented to the
player on the player's mobile device 110. It should be noted that this display
on the
player's mobile device 110 typically consists of two video streams (or audio-
video streams)
mixed together into one; the Main Screen stream, along with the iDeck (virtual
button deck)
stream.
[0102] Referring now to FIG. 6, a configuration of the mobile device-
enhanced
system 100 is shown that illustrates how the mobile connection is established.
From the
perspective of the virtual game instance, nothing has changed with respect to
executing the
game logic and rendering the graphics of the game. The operation of the Stream
Redirector
module 150 has changed however. The Stream Redirector module 150 now re-
encodes
both the main screen streaming content and iDeck streaming content into one
combined
stream of content. This re-encode process may also adjust the screen
resolution and bitrate
of the resulting stream of content to better suit the capabilities of the
mobile device 110
and/or network 140. In embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100
that employ
games in which all three screens are necessary (e.g., the top screen is
functional) for a game
to perform correctly, the Stream Redirector 150 may perform more complex logic
to
support the merging of all three streams of content.
[0103] In another aspect of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, when a
player
touches a relevant point of the display on the player's mobile device 110, the
coordinates
are remapped by the Stream Redirector module 150 into the original resolution
of the
display, and passed back to the relevant touchscreen input of the virtual game
instance.
This remapping of the touchscreen coordinates assists in compensating for
varying screen
sizes and proportions between the display(s) of the EGM 130 and the display of
the player's
mobile device 110.
[0104] When using the mobile device-enhanced system 100, once a virtual
game's
content streams are redirected towards a mobile device 110, the EGM 130 begins
a new
gaming session. In some embodiments, this gaming session is of an identical
game 120 (but
different instance) to the game 120 that was redirected to mobile device 110.
In other
embodiments, another game may be chosen by the game server 160 to be executed
on the
EGM 130 (that is different than the game being shown on the mobile device
110),
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dependent upon heuristics such as the time of day, number of patrons in
casino, or other
data.
[0105] Another aspect of the mobile device-enhanced system 100 enables a
player to
use a mobile device 110 to facilitate a gaming session platform transfer. In
one example,
shown in FIG. 7, a player approaches an EGM 130 with an existing game session
running
on their mobile device 110. This may be a game session that originated on that
EGM 130 at
an earlier time, but this is not necessary. Using the mobile device-enhanced
system 100, the
player associates their account with the EGM 130. Preferably, this action is
performed by
the player inserting their player tracking card. Alternatively, the player may
activate a
command icon on the display of the EGM 130, or as discussed above, a Bluetooth
pairing
between the EGM 130 and the mobile device 110 may be used to establish a link.
[0106] In some embodiments, a software application may be loaded onto the
mobile
device 110 (or any secondary computing device) that readies the mobile device
for
connection to an EGM by enabling the mobile device to retrieve information
regarding a
connection management server. In one embodiment, the software application may
be
acquired via an app store, such as the Apple App Store or the Google Play
Store. Figure 3A
depicts one embodiment of a process (e.g., a process caused by execution of
software
instructions of the software application) that readies the mobile device for
connection to an
EGM. For example, the process may ensure that that the mobile device (i.e.,
client device)
can authenticate a connection management server, and that only valid client
accounts may
access the connection management server.
[0107] In some embodiments, the process depicted in Figure 3A may leverage
the WiFi
API's (i.e., Application Programming Interfaces) present in mobile devices.
When WiFi is
enabled on a mobile device, the operating system of the mobile device may use
WiFi
adapter hardware to maintain a list of Access Points (APs) that are within
radio range. As
shown in Figure 3A, this step may be performed at block 120a. Each of the AP
has an
associated Service Set Identifier (SSID) (i.e., a string of text) that is
broadcast by the AP.
This list is updated as the mobile devices moves around entering and leaving
the range of
Access Points. Once, the software application is initiated, the mobile device
retrieves the
list of available WiFi APs and their corresponding SSIDs (block 120a). The
mobile device
then determines whether any APs are associated with a venue running the
streaming system
at block 122a. If an AP is associated with a venue running the streaming
system, the mobile
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device attempts to connect to the AP using, for example, a PKI method. In one
embodiment, a PKI method may include using pre-stored keys (PSK) and
certificates to
ensure the AP is legitimate such as that shown at block 124a. Once connected
to an AP, the
mobile device may need to obtain the IP address of a connection management
server. In
one embodiment, the mobile device may obtain this IP address by using a
NoCatAuth
gateway server, as depicted at block 126a. The NoCatAuth server may intercept
all http
requests and respond with a login webpage. The login webpage may be presented
on the
mobile device. In some embodiments, stored credentials (possibly associated
with a CMS
player tracking account) may be used to log into the NoCatAuth gateway server.
The
general use of the NoCatAuth gateway server authorization process is depicted
at
block 128a. Once logged in, the NoCatAuth gateway server may send the current
connection management server address to the mobile device, as shown at block
130a.
[0108] Referring now to Figure 3B, one embodiment of a process is depicted
that
enables the mobile device to be associated with a particular EGM and initiate
a remote play
session. It is understood that the client device may not connect to the EGM
for a remote
gaming session in other embodiments as disclosed herein. Instead, according to
other
embodiments, the client device may connect to a game server to receive game
data
therefrom during a remote gaming session. In some embodiments, a connection
server may
not be used. In such embodiments, the client device may maintain a list of IP
addresses
associated with EGM-specific identifiers, or the client device may obtain the
IP address of
the EGM from, for example, a QR code displayed on the EGM. In such
embodiments,
connection requests may go directly from the client device to the EGM.
[0109] Referring back to the embodiment shown in Figure 3B, at block 132a,
the player
may request association with a particular EGM using his or her mobile device
(i.e., one type
of client device). In some embodiments, the mobile device may have already
completed the
process depicted in Figure 3A prior to the request for association. Following
block 132a,
the player is queried to identify the EGM that the player seeks to associate
with his or her
mobile device at block 134a. In some embodiments, the player may associate his
or her
mobile device with a particular EGM by scanning an EGM-specific identifier
such as a
barcode or QR code located on the EGM (e.g., presented on a display or not on
a display).
The EGM-specific identifier may uniquely identify the EGM in the venue. In
other
embodiments, the player may input an EGM-specific identifier that is not a QR
code or
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barcode (e.g., combination of numbers or letters) located on the EGM (e.g.,
presented on a
display or not on a display). In some embodiments, the EGM-specific code may
temporally
change (e.g., every minute, every 5 minutes, every hour, every day, or any
other time
period) or change after every remote play session. Such embodiments ensure
that players
do not troll or otherwise needlessly tie up the associated EGM with
illegitimate play. Such
embodiments also ensure that the player requesting a remote play session is
present at the
EGM at the time of the request. For example, a player may write an EGM-
specific code or
take a picture of a QR code for later use. Of course, in some embodiments,
such action may
be allowed. GPS or other locational data may also be used to verify that a
player is
physically located at the EGM or within a particular venue before initiating
streaming play.
[0110] As disclosed herein, alternatives to printed barcodes or QR codes
may be used.
Barcodes could be presented on a display of the EGM as an overlay for example.
In other
embodiments, Bluetooth, RFID, or other technologies may be used to transmit
the EGM-
specific identifier or IP address instead of optical codes.
[0111] In addition, according to some embodiments, the processes disclosed
herein may
be reversed with respect to the player requesting a remote gaming session. For
example, the
player may utilize a graphical user interface presented on a display of the
EGM to scan for
mobile devices within range (e.g., within Bluetooth range or other wireless
technology
range) that are available for connection. The player may select one of the
mobile devices
from the list to connect to connect or otherwise establish a communication
link between the
EGM and the selected mobile device. A confirmation request may be displayed on
a
display of the mobile device asking the player to confirm that he or she
wishes to associate
his or her mobile device with the EGM.
[0112] As shown at block 136a, the process may wait for the EGM-specific
identifier to
be scanned or otherwise entered. Once the EGM-specific identifier has been
input, it is
determined whether the input is a valid EGM-specific identifier at block 138a.
If not, the
process may return to block 132a. If the input is a valid EGM-specific
identifier, then the
process may continue to block 140a where the EGM-specific identifier (e.g.,
data
representative of the EGM-specific identifier) may be sent to the connection
server for
further processing. The connection server may maintain a list of EGM-specific
identifiers
(whether static or dynamic) and corresponding current IP addresses.
Accordingly, in
embodiments utilizing a connection server, the connection server may retrieve
an IP address
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of the EGM associated with the EGM-specific identifier at block 150a. At block
152a, the
connection server may send a connection request to the EGM identified by the
EGM-
specific identifier. It is understood that the processes performed by the
client device (e.g.,
mobile device), connection server, and EGM run in parallel with various
information in the
form of data being transmitted between the client device, connection server,
and EGM.
[0113] Upon receiving the connection request at block 158a, the EGM may
determine
whether the requested connection is possible or otherwise available at block
160a. For
example, the requested connection may be denied if the game is tilted or out-
of-service. As
another example, the requested connection may be denied if there are
insufficient credits on
the EGM to enable a meaningful gaming session (i.e., a session measured by,
for example,
the number games that may be played based on the available credits). In this
regard, the
process according to some embodiments may require that a certain number of
credits be
available for play. In such embodiments, the process may determine whether
enough
credits have been input to play a minimum of 1, 5, 10, 25, or any number of
games based on
the minimum bet, maximum bet, or any other bet amount. Of course, other
embodiments
may not require a certain number of credits to initiate a remote gaming
session because the
player may be enabled to input credits via the device on which he or she is
playing the game
in the remote gaming session.
[0114] If the requested connection is denied, the EGM may inform the
connection
server and the client device of the denial at blocks 154a and 142a,
respectively. In
embodiments where the EGM sends such information to the connection server and
the
client device, processing resources may be saved because, for example, the
connection
denial information may serve as an interrupt and stop any processing being
performed by
the connection server and the client device with the client device returning
to block 132a
upon receiving such an interrupt. For example, such an instance may occur
where a
connection request was initially allowed or otherwise approved but later
denied due to later
processing.
[0115] Likewise, if the requested connection is approved or otherwise
allowed, the
EGM may inform the connection server and the client device of the denial at
blocks 154a
and 142a, respectively. The client device may present a notification to the
player that the
connection request has been allowed and that the remote gaming session may
commence
shortly. Following the approval of the connection request, the EGM may, at
blocks 162a
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and 164a, confirm that the player requesting the remote gaming session is
actually at the
EGM.
[0116] In one embodiment, the EGM may present a confirmation request on one
or
more displays of the EGM that may be touched positively by the player before
the remote
gaming session can commence. For example, the confirmation request may be a
pop-up
window that may read "Do you want to move your game and credits to be played
on your
mobile device?" As another example, the confirmation request may be a message
that
reads: "Do you want to move the game and credits to be played on mobile
device: DEVICE
NAME'S IPAD?" The player may select "Yes" or "No" on the confirmation request.
If a
player confirms that he or she wishes to initiate a remote gaming session, a
connection
allowed message is sent at block 166a and may be received by the connection
server and the
client device. Following block 166a, the EGM waits for client connection at
block 168a.
[0117] Upon receiving the connection allowed message, the connection server
may, at
block 156a, send remote gaming session data to the client device. Remote
gaming session
data may include the IP address and other data associated with the EGM. At
block 144a,
the client device may receive the remote gaming session data from the
connection server
and accordingly connect to the EGM over IP or any other communication
protocol. As part
of the remote gaming session initiation process, negotiation may take place as
to the correct
format for the data to be received in based on the client device
characteristics (e.g., screen
size, resolution, processing capabilities, and the like).
[0118] In some embodiments, before the remote gaming session commences,
certain
hardware devices (e.g., player input devices) or software modules of the EGM
may be
disabled so that they may not be used during the remote gaming session. For
example, all
touchscreens, physical buttons, the bill acceptor, and ticket printer may be
disabled.
According to one embodiment, the touchscreen capabilities of any display
screens may be
disabled, but the displays may still present information thereon. In one
embodiment, touch
screen data may still be transmitted from a display to a processor; however,
the processor
does not accept the input. In other embodiments, the disabling of the
capabilities may mean
that the display does not transmit touch data upon being touched. According to
the
embodiment shown in Figure 3B, this may occur at block 170a. Following the
disablement
of certain hardware or software modules of the EGM, the remote gaming session
may
commence. In the embodiment shown, the EGM may stream gaming data to the
client
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device and receive input data from the client device once the remote gaming
session
commences. This functionality is represented at block 172a. Likewise, the
client device
may display the streamed gaming data received from the EGM and relay
activation of any
input devices (e.g., a touchscreen) via input data to the EGM. This
functionality is
represented at block 148a.
[0119] As disclosed herein, the EGM may replace the dynamic output of the
game with
static "Game Reserved" images or the like. Such images may be shown on the
displays of
the EGM throughout the remote gaming session with the actual output of the
game instead
being sent through the reformatting module and stream encoder according to one
embodiment.
[0120] The confirmation request helps prevent someone from subverting the
process by
making a copy of the EGM-specific identifier and attempting to initiate a
remote gaming
session away from the EGM using a current player's funds because the current
player at the
EGM would be made aware of the attempt and would be able to stop it (e.g., by
selecting
"No"). As disclosed herein, the EGM-specific identifiers may be dynamic in
that they
change after, for example, every gaming session, a period of time, or any
other measure.
Dynamic EGM-specific identifiers may further help prevent illegitimate
initiation of a
remote gaming session.
[0121] In some embodiments, the system may automatically select "No" for
the player
after a predetermined length of time has elapsed (e.g., 5 second, 10 seconds,
30 seconds, 1
minute, or any other time period). The default selection of "No" after a
predetermined
period of time ensures that a player who leaves the EGM while the confirmation
request is
displayed does not have a remote gaming session initiated by another player
(albeit on the
client device of the player who left the EGM).
[0122] In some embodiments, the operating system on the EGM may permanently
display an icon at a suitable location on a display (e.g., main display or
iDeck) that would
only allow streaming to be enabled if pressed with the default position being
"off" as a
further safeguard. In such embodiments, if streaming is disabled, a connection
request by a
secondary computing device is ignored. If a user has enabled streaming, the
availability of
streaming may return to the disabled state after a period of time if a remote
gaming session
is not enabled within that time (e.g., 1 minute, 5 minutes, or any amount of
time). In some
embodiments, the availability of streaming may return to the disabled state
after a cash-out
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event occurs on the EGM. As another example, the availability of streaming may
return to
the disabled state if no credits are present on the EGM for a period of time.
[0123] Referring now to Figure 3C, one embodiment of a process is depicted
that
enables a mobile device (e.g., any secondary computing device) to be
disconnected from a
remote gaming session. A remote gaming disconnection may be player-initiated
or system-
initiated (e.g., initiated by the EGM). For example, if a player's credit
balance is at or
below a certain threshold for a period of time, the venue may wish to return
the EGM to its
normal status so that another player may use it. In this way, the systems
herein are enabled
to measure inactivity. In some embodiments, the credit threshold may be 0
credits or a
number of credits less than the number of credits required for one or more
minimum bets on
the EGM. In such embodiments, the time period may be 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10
minutes,
or any other time period.
[0124] The system-initiated disconnection time period may be based on
different credit
thresholds and the player's credit balanced in relation thereto. For example,
if a player's
credit balance is at or below a certain threshold, then the time period may be
a first time
period, whereas if a player's credit balance is at or above a certain
threshold, then the time
period may be a second time period. In one embodiment, the first time period
may be less
than the second time period. For example, if a player's credit balance falls
below the
number of credits required for a single minimum bet for 2 minutes, the remote
gaming
session may be terminated. Likewise, if a player's credit balance would allow
for two or
more minimum bets and the credit balance has not increased or decreased (i.e.,
no bets have
been made) for 10 minutes, the remote gaming session may be terminated. It is
understood
that the player's credit balance may be monitored just as the player input
devices may be
monitored. For example, the system may terminate the gaming session if player
input data
has not been received from the player's mobile device for a period of time.
[0125] In some embodiments, any remaining credit balance remains on the EGM
after
the remote gaming session is terminated. In other embodiments, any remaining
credit
balance may be returned to the player after the remote gaming session is
terminated if the
player's identity is known. In other embodiments, the EGM may enter a tilt
mode if there
are remaining credits on the EGM after a remote gaming session is terminated.
In some
embodiments, initiation of a remote gaming session may require a player to
agree to
properly cash-out remaining credits at the end of the remote gaming session or
else agree
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that he or she will lose those credits since they may, for example, remain on
the EGM. In
still other embodiments, the remaining credits may be transferred to a player
account stored
on a server. Still further, a "code" or other indicia may be generated and
stored by the
mobile device that when entered by the player during a subsequent remote
gaming session
on a mobile device or local gaming session at a gaming machine, restores the
remaining
credits for further play.
[0126] In some embodiments, the mobile device of the player engaging in a
remote
gaming session may receive from, for example, the EGM a prompt requiring the
player to
affirmatively respond to continue the remote gaming session. Such a prompt may
read "Are
you still playing?" The player may select "Yes" or "No." "No" may
automatically be
selected after a time period has elapsed. A player may be required to
affirmatively respond
to such a prompt after a time period elapses (e.g., every 10 minutes, every 15
minutes,
every 30 minutes, or any defined period of time).
[0127] A player-initiated disconnection or termination of the remote gaming
session
may begin by the player initiating a cash-out event (e.g., by pressing "Cash-
Out" on the
screen on the mobile device). In some embodiments, a player may initiate a
cash-out event
using the EGM to receive a credit voucher. However, to ensure that the player
actually
engaged in the remote gaming session is the player requesting the cash-out at
the physical
EGM, the EGM may send a confirmation message to the mobile device requiring
the user to
confirm whether a cash-out event has been requested by him or her. Some
embodiments
may use biometrics and/or GPS or other locational data to verify the player is
physically
located at the EGM. In some embodiments, the mobile device may present a cash-
out code
that the player must input at the EGM for the cash-out event to be processed.
Of course, the
player may turn off such messages to prevent another player from harassing him
or her
during the remote gaming session (e.g., constantly attempting to cash-out an
EGM involved
in a remote gaming session).
[0128] In embodiments where a player initiates termination of the remote
gaming
session using the mobile device, a confirmation window may be presented to the
player.
This window may be generated by the EGM and streamed to the mobile device, or
be
performed natively by the mobile application if it is aware of the location of
the virtual
cash-out button on the mobile device display. The window may ask the player to
confirm
that the cash-out request is valid. If the player confirms the request is
valid, then the player
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may be informed by, for example, another pop-up window (again, generated by
the EGM
and streamed to the mobile device, or be performed natively by the mobile
application) to
return to the EGM. The second pop-up window asking the player to return to the
EGM may
present a cash-out code to the player that someone at the EGM would not know.
For
example, the secret cash-out code may be a randomly chosen word or combination
of letters
or numbers.
[0129] In some embodiments, the EGM may display the proper cash-out code
among
other non-functional cash-out codes. The EGM may ask the player to touch the
cash-out
code shown on the mobile device, and if correctly chosen, the mobile device is
disconnected
and the EGM is re-enabled for normal play to continue (e.g., re-enabling
player input
devices on the EGM). Of course, in other embodiments, the player is asked to
select the
right code from a plurality of wrong codes. Instead, the player is asked to
input the code by,
for example, entering each letter, number, or symbol of the code using a
virtual keyboard
presented on a display of a gaming machine. In some embodiments, once the cash-
out code
is entered, a ticket voucher is printed by the EGM. In other embodiments, once
the cash-out
code is entered (e.g., at the gaming machine associated with the remote gaming
session or a
cash-out kiosk), the credits (or money corresponding thereto) may be sent
directly to a
player account. In other embodiments, the cash-out code need not be entered at
the EGM
for the player to receive his or her funds. Instead, the player may enter the
cash-out code at
a cash-out kiosk (e.g., ATM/bill breaking machine) or provide the cash-out
code to a
cashier. The cash-out kiosk may be connected to a network and receive cash-out
codes
along with the corresponding credits and cash value of the credits from mobile
devices over
the network. In this way, a player may input the cash-out code at the cash-out
kiosk without
having to find the EGM associated with the player's remote gaming session. In
some
embodiments, once the cash-out code is presented to the player, the remote
gaming session
is terminated since the player need not approach the EGM associated with the
remote
gaming session to effectively cash-out. This enables the EGM to return to
normal play
mode sooner because the EGM does not need to wait for the player to travel
back to the
EGM to terminate the remote gaming session. In some embodiments, Bluetooth,
RFID
technology, biometrics, or GPS technology may be used to ensure the player is
at the EGM
with the mobile device before the EGM was returned to normal play.
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[0130] One purpose of the cash-out code is to ensure that a player pressing
"Cash-Out"
on the mobile device is not beaten to the EGM by another person who could then
steal the
credits by pressing the "Cash-Out" button on, for example, the virtual button
deck once the
EGM was returned to normal play. In some embodiments, the cash-out code may be
made
available to the player via the mobile device, but not presented thereon until
the player
requests the actual presentment of the code itself
[0131] In some embodiments, the cash-out code may be a barcode, a QR code,
or any
other unique indicia related only to the remote gaming session from which the
cash-out
event is initiated may be presented on the mobile device. The player may take
this session-
specific code, just as the other cash-out codes discussed, to the EGM or a
cash-out kiosk.
However, instead of the player manually entering the code or selecting the
code, the EGM
or the cash-out kiosk is enabled to read the code with a scanner (e.g.,
barcode reader or QR
code reader).
[0132] In some embodiments, a secret code may be used to establish a
connection to the
EGM as an alternative to barcodes. In such embodiments, the player may first
touch a
streaming icon on the EGM display causing a code (e.g., secret word) to be
displayed.
Next, the player may start or otherwise initiate the mobile streaming
application, and be
presented with a short list of random codes (e.g., random words) to choose
from with each
word being supplied by the connection server or the EGM. Selecting the
matching word
may identify the EGM that the player is nearest to and the process may then
continue with
the confirmation window. This way, any EGM may be used for "cash-out" so the
player
need not seek out a specific EGM (e.g., the EGM from which the player's remote
gaming
session was associated).
[0133] According to some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed
herein may
use a Bally Alpha 2 EGM, a standard Ethernet infrastructure (wired and WiFi),
and an
optional connection server which may be a standard PC running a Windows
operating
system. According to some embodiments, video stream encoding may be performed
using
the H.264 codec and MPEG TS encapsulation over a protocol such as RTSP. Audio
encoding may be performed using the AAC codec. Also according to some
embodiments,
the mobile device may be an Apple iPad 2 or iPad 3, or an Android tablet
computer running
Ice Cream Sandwich 4Ø3 or later. It will be appreciated that any combination
of system
components, hardware components, and communication protocols may be used.
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[0134] Referring now specifically to the process shown in Figure 3C, one
embodiment
of a process is depicted that enables a mobile device (e.g., any secondary
computing device)
to be disconnected from a remote gaming session. At block 180a, the mobile
device may
wait for disconnection or termination request (whether player-initiated or
system-initiated).
In the embodiment shown, the mobile device is shown waiting for a
disconnection or
termination request from the player. Once a termination request is received,
the process
may proceed to block 182a where the mobile device sends the termination
request to the
EGM. At block 184a, the mobile device determines whether termination is
allowed. In
some embodiments, block 184a determines whether the termination is allowed
based on, for
example, data received form the EGM such as a disconnection or termination
allowed
message.
[0135] At block 188a, the EGM is shown receiving, as input, the termination
request
from the mobile device. Following block 188a, the process may proceed to
blocks 190a
and 192a where it may be determined whether a timeout period has elapsed based
on, for
example, player inactivity, and whether the received data is in fact a
termination request. In
some embodiments, player inactivity may include neither confirming nor denying
the
termination request. The timeout period may be any time period.
[0136] If the timeout period has not elapsed and the received data is a
termination
request, then the process may proceed to block 194a where the EGM may display
a
confirmation request to the player asking the player to confirm whether he or
she had in fact
requested termination of the remote gaming session. At block 196a, the player
may respond
to the confirmation request. If the player does not confirm the termination
request, data
representative of such an input may be sent to the mobile device from the EGM
(block 198a). The mobile device may then proceed to block 180a instead of 186a
in such a
circumstance. Otherwise stated, the mobile device does not suspend or
otherwise
disconnect itself from the remote gaming session. However, if the player does
confirm the
termination request, data representative of such an input may be sent to the
mobile device
from the EGM. The mobile device may then proceed to block 186a instead of
block 180a in
such a circumstance. Otherwise stated, the remote gaming session is
terminated. At
block 200a, the EGM may wait for data from the mobile device indicating that
the mobile
device has disconnected from the remote gaming session. Once such data is
received, the
EGM may, at block 202a, enable input and output devices (or otherwise return
them from a
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partial-functionality state to a full-functionality state) so that normal play
may be initiated
on the gaming machine. At block 204a, the remote gaming session may be
considered
terminated since the gaming machine may now be available for normal play
(e.g., normal
play mode).
[0137] As disclosed herein the secondary computing device (e.g., mobile
device) may
have different characteristics from a gaming machine (e.g., EGM). Therefore,
the systems
and methods disclosed herein enable the deployment of a game on a secondary
computing
device that has different characteristics than the EGM to which the game is
associated. The
systems and methods herein enable a wide range of games to be deployed on a
wide range
of mobile devices.
[0138] For example, an EGM may have one, two, three, four, or more displays
of
varying sizes, resolutions, and aspect ratios. Mobile devices may have more
than one
display, but generally have just one display. In some embodiments, the
display(s) of a
mobile device may be oriented in either a portrait or landscape mode. For
example, a user
may rotate his or her mobile device to view the display(s) on the mobile
device in a portrait
orientation or a landscape orientation. The displays of various mobile devices
generally
have different display characteristics. For example, the following mobile
devices are
currently sold in the U.S. with associated resolutions and aspect ratios. In
landscape
orientation, the Apple iPad 2 has a resolution of 1024 pixels (width) by 768
pixels (height),
and has an aspect ratio of 1.33. In landscape orientation, the Apple iPhone 4
has a
resolution of 960 pixels (width) by 640 pixels (height), and has an aspect
ratio of 1.5. In
landscape orientation, the Apple iPhone 5 has a resolution of 1136 pixels
(width) by 640
pixels (height), and has an aspect ratio of 1.78. In landscape orientation,
the Asus TF700
has a resolution of 1920 pixels (width) by 1200 pixels (height), and has an
aspect ratio
of 1.6. In landscape orientation, the BlackBerry Playbook has a resolution of
1024 pixels
(width) by 600 pixels (height), and has an aspect ratio of 1.7.
[0139] The systems and methods disclosed herein enable reformatting of any
existing
game so that it may be presented on one or more displays of a mobile device.
In some
embodiments, the entire real estate of a display (i.e., all pixels) on a
mobile device may be
used in presenting a reformatted game on the mobile device. In other
embodiments, less
than the entire real estate of a display (i.e., all pixels) on a mobile device
may be used in
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presenting a reformatted game on the mobile device. For example, 50%-99% of
the pixels
may be used.
[0140] In some embodiments, a virtual button deck (e.g., iDeck) graphical
user interface
may be represented in a large enough portion of the mobile device display to
enable a player
to easily operate it. For example, a gaming machine with a main screen display
and a
virtual button deck display may have graphical data associated with each
display, which
may be combined and shown on a single display of a mobile device. The
graphical data
associated with the virtual button deck may be reformatted (e.g., resized) and
presented on a
portion of the mobile device display (e.g., the lower 20% in a landscape
orientation),
whereas the graphical data associated with the main screen may be reformatted
and
presented on another portion of the mobile device display (e.g., the upper 80%
in a
landscape orientation). Of course, in other embodiments, the graphical data
associated with
the virtual button deck may be reformatted (e.g., resized) and presented on
the entire mobile
device display. After a player, for example, selects a bet amount on the
mobile device
display using the reformatted graphical user interface, the mobile device may
switch to
displaying graphical data associated with the main screen display that has
been reformatted
and presented on the entire mobile device display.
[0141] In some embodiments, reformatting the graphical data presented on a
gaming
machine may result in deformation of content (e.g., stretching, shrinking, or
otherwise
skewing the content such that the original aspect ratio of the content is not
maintained).
However, the systems and methods disclosed herein may determine that if
deformation of
content occurs, such deformation may be acceptable provided that the deformed
content is
perceivable as being related to the source content (i.e., the content as it is
presented on the
gaming machine) with, for example, minimal deformation. In some embodiments,
the level
of deformation may be determined based on the aspect ratio of the content
before
reformatting and after reformatting. For example, if the original content has
an aspect ratio
of 2, and after reformatting the content has an aspect ratio of 1, then the
content may be
perceivably stretched height-wise. However, if the content has an aspect ratio
of 2.1 or 1.9,
the deformation of the content may not be perceivable, readily perceivable, or
the like. This
is because the 2.1 or 1.9 aspect ratio is closer to the original aspect ratio
than that of 1.
[0142] Accordingly, in some embodiments, this relationship is leveraged to
set up
acceptable and unacceptable levels of deformation. In one embodiment,
acceptable levels
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of deformation may include when the aspect ratio of the reformatted content is
within 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, or any other percentage of the aspect ratio of the
original
content. For example, if the original content has an aspect ratio of 1.6,
deformation in
reformatted content related thereto may be acceptable if it is within the
range of 1.584-1.616
(e.g., if the aspect ratio of the reformatted content is required to be within
1% of the aspect
ratio of the original content), 1.52-1.68 (e.g., if the aspect ratio of the
reformatted content is
required to be within 5% of the aspect ratio of the original content), 1.44-
1.76 (e.g., if the
aspect ratio of the reformatted content is required to be within 10% of the
aspect ratio of the
original content), or 1.28-1.92 (e.g., if the aspect ratio of the reformatted
content is required
to be within 20% of the aspect ratio of the original content). In one
embodiment,
unacceptable levels of deformation may include when the aspect ratio of the
reformatted
content is not within 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, or any other percentage of the aspect
ratio of the
original content.
[0143] As disclosed herein, content from multiple displays on one device
may be
combined into a single stream or frame for another device. While content may
be
reformatted based on the aspect ratio of the display and deformed accordingly,
the
deformation measurement disclosed herein is based on the aspect ratio for each
piece of
content against its associated original content.
[0144] In some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed herein
leverage the
different orientations available (i.e., landscape or portrait) of a display.
For example, some
games may play better in a portrait orientation on a mobile device while other
games may
play better in a landscape orientation on the same mobile device.
[0145] Referring now to Figures 31A-C, examples of content taken from Bally
Alpha 2
products is shown for illustrative purposes. Of course, the content may change
based on the
game and the gaming machine for which it is designed.
[0146] Figure 31A shows a screen shot of graphical data associated with a
Bally V22
game ("Ole Jalapenos"), which is displayed across two landscape-oriented 1.77
aspect ratio
displays. Each of these displays has a resolution of 1360 pixels by 768
pixels. Combined
together, as shown, they produce a composite image having a resolution of 1360
pixels
by 1536 pixels and an aspect ratio of 0.88. Figure 31B shows a screen shot of
graphical
data associated with a Bally V32 game ("All That Jazz"), which is displayed
across one
portrait oriented 0.56 aspect ratio display having a resolution therefore of
768 pixels
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by 1360 pixels. Figure 31C shows a screen shot of graphical data associated
with a Bally
iDeck display that is utilized by both the Bally V22 "Ole Jalapenos" game and
the Bally
V32 "All That Jazz" game. The Bally iDeck display in this embodiment has a
resolution
of 1280 pixels by 242 pixels and an aspect ratio of 5.29.
[0147] Continuing with the examples shown in Figures 31A-C, Figures 32A-B
show
two mobile displays presenting the graphical data corresponding to the
graphical data
shown in Figures 31A-C according to one embodiment. In the embodiment shown,
the
display 300a in Figure 32A has an aspect ratio of 16:10 (1.6), and is
displaying the V22
game "Ole Jalapenos" reformatted to fit on the display 300a using the correct
aspect ratio.
In the embodiment shown, the way the graphical data associated with the "Ole
Jalapenos"
game has been reformatted has resulted in large unused areas 302a of the
mobile device
display. The embodiment shown in Figure 32A illustrates an instance of
letterboxing that
may occur when content is reformatted to preserve the aspect ratio of the
game.
[0148] In the embodiment shown, the display 304a in Figure 32B has an
aspect ratio
of 4:3 (1.33), and is displaying the V32 game "All That Jazz" reformatted to
fit on the
display 304a at the correct aspect ratio. In the embodiment shown, the way the
graphical
data associated with the "All That Jazz" game has been reformatted has
resulted in large,
unused areas 306a of the mobile device display. The embodiment shown in Figure
32B
illustrates an instance of pillarboxing that may occur when content is
reformatted to
preserve the aspect ratio of the game.
[0149] Failing to utilize more of the display in the embodiments as shown
in
Figures 32A-B, content, such as the graphical user interface displayed on a
virtual button
deck, is rendered smaller in size than otherwise may be possible. Otherwise
stated, the
systems and methods disclosed herein may eliminate unused areas on a display
by enlarging
or otherwise stretching content to fit the entire display. For example, in
some embodiments,
the content may be stretched (e.g., deviate away from the correct aspect ratio
of the game)
such that the entire display is used (i.e., there are no unused areas or
portions). Figure 32C
illustrates one embodiment of the display 300a presenting the V22 game "Ole
Jalapenos"
reformatted to fit on the display 300a without any unused areas. As shown, the
game is
stretched to ensure that there are no unused areas in this embodiment.
Likewise,
Figure 32D illustrates one embodiment of the display 304a presenting the V32
game "All
That Jazz" reformatted to fit on the display 304a without any unused areas. As
shown, the
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game is stretched to ensure that there are no unused areas in this embodiment.
In some
embodiments, the amount of stretching depicted in Figures 32C-D may be deemed
unacceptable to some users or the game designer because it may no longer
closely represent
the game as presented on the gaming machine itself Therefore, in some
embodiments, the
systems and methods disclosed herein may reduce the amount of deformation by
reformatting content so that it does not utilize the entire display of the
mobile device. In
such embodiments, the content may or may not be deformed within an acceptable
limit.
[0150] In some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed herein may
reduce the
size of any unused areas on a display by enlarging or otherwise deforming
(e.g., stretching
or shrinking) content within acceptable limits. Otherwise stated, the content
may be
reformatted so that the aspect ratio of the reformatted content is within a
certain percentage
of the aspect ratio of the original content. For example, content may be
stretched, but
within acceptable limits that may reduce but may not eliminate unused portions
of the
display. In some embodiments, advertisements may be presented in any unused
portions of
a display on the mobile device. Figure 32E illustrates one embodiment of the
display 300a
presenting the V22 game "Ole Jalapenos" reformatted to fit on the display 300a
with unused
areas 308a. As shown, the unused areas 308a are smaller than the unused areas
302a shown
in Figure 32A thereby reducing the letterbox effect within acceptable
reformatting limits
(i.e., the letterbox effect is reduced by reformatting the original content so
that when
displayed, the reformatted content has an aspect ratio within a certain
percentage of, for
example, the aspect ratio of the original content). Likewise, Figure 32D
illustrates one
embodiment of the display 304a presenting the V32 game "All That Jazz"
reformatted to fit
on the display 304a with unused areas 310a. As shown, the unused areas 310a
are smaller
than the unused areas 306a shown in Figure 32B thereby reducing the pillarbox
effect
within acceptable reformatting limits (i.e., the pillarbox effect is reduced
by reformatting
the original content so that when displayed, the reformatted content has an
aspect ratio
within a certain percentage of, for example, the aspect ratio of the original
content).
[0151] Referring now to Figure 33, one example of one embodiment of a
method to
determine optimal output for a given input resolution and given display is
shown. For
example, the video output presented on the displays shown in Figures 32E-F may
have been
optimized (i.e., reduced the amount of any unused areas on a display by
reformatting
original content so that when displayed, the reformatted content has an aspect
ratio within a
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certain percentage of, for example, the aspect ratio of the original content)
using the method
shown in Figure 33. The method shown in Figure 33 may be performed by a mobile
device,
a gaming machine, a game server, any other computing device, or a combination
thereof
As shown, each block on the left is shown in more detail on the right.
[0152] At block 320a, parameters may be initialized. In one embodiment,
initializing
the parameters may include setting variables to equal the width and height of
the mobile
device display and the width and height of the gaming machine displays that
present game
content that will be reformatted for display on the mobile device (e.g., the
combined main
game and top box displays of a V22 gaming machine, the main display of a V32
gaming
machine, and the virtual button deck display). Width and height may be in
terms of pixels
or any other unit of measurement.
[0153] In embodiments where graphical data is compressed (e.g., according
to the
H.264 codec) prior to transmission to the mobile device, a variable (shown as
M) may also
be initialized for the encoder modulo. The encoder modulo may be used to
adjust
implementations where the content may be streamed to the mobile device.
Encoding
methods, such as H.264, generally impose a requirement that the source content
be a
multiple of some value (i.e., the modulo) in both width and height. A typical
value M may
be 8. If streaming is not required, M may be set to 1 (i.e., setting M to 1
informs the system
that the graphical data is not compressed upon reception by the mobile device
or otherwise
before transmission to the mobile device).
[0154] If the mobile device initializes the display parameters, the mobile
device may
transmit data to the gaming machine requesting display information. In
response to this
request, the gaming machine may transmit display data back to the mobile
device that
includes information on, for example, the width and height of each display on
the gaming
machine. In some embodiments, only information on displays that present
content that will
be reformatted for presentation on the mobile device may be transmitted to the
mobile
device. If the gaming machine initializes the display parameters, the gaming
machine may
transmit data to the mobile device requesting display information. In response
to this
request, the mobile device may transmit display data back to the gaming device
that
includes information, for example, relating to the width and height of each
display of the
mobile device that is available for presenting graphical data. If another
computing device,
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such as a game server, initializes the display parameters, display data may be
received from
the mobile device and the gaming machine following a request for such
information.
[0155] In some embodiments, the width and height of each display may be
different or
the same as the width and height of the content displayed in each display.
Therefore, in
some embodiments, the width and height of the content associated with each
display of the
gaming machine may be initialized in addition to the width and height of each
display.
However, in other embodiments, the width and height of the content associated
with each
display of the gaming machine may be initialized instead of using the width
and height of
displays. This may occur, for example, when the content is reformatted to fit
displays of the
gaming machine so it may correspond more accurately to user resolution and
aspect ratio
data of the original content before it is reformatted to fit the displays of
the gaming machine
in such embodiments.
[0156] After the parameters are initialized at block 320a, the method may
proceed to
block 322a where the resolution of the virtual button deck display (or the
resolution of the
content presented on the display in some embodiments) may be scaled (e.g.,
reduced in size
if the resolution of the virtual button deck display is too large for the
mobile device) based
on the parameters of a display on the mobile device. In one embodiment, an
optimal target
resolution may be determined based on the resolution of the virtual button
deck display with
respect to the resolution of the display on the mobile device. For example,
the resolution of
the virtual button deck display may be 1280 pixels by 242 pixels and the
display on the
mobile device may be 768 pixels. The content typically displayed on the
virtual button
deck display may be scaled so that it is 768 pixels in width instead of 1280
pixels in width,
and correspondingly 144 pixels in height instead of 242 pixels in height to
maintain the
aspect ratio. It is understood that the actual perfect aspect ratio would
yield a height of 145
pixels, but this value is adjusted for encoder modulo requirements. Throughout
the method
shown in Figure 33, this adjustment may take place when required.
[0157] In some embodiments, if block 322a results in the scaled content
associated with
the virtual button deck display exceeding some percentage of the display area
on the mobile
device (e.g., 10%-25%), then block 322a may further scale (e.g., reduce in
size) the content
associated with the virtual button deck display. This may occur for example,
where scaling
the content associated with the virtual button deck display would produce an
unacceptably
large representation of the virtual button deck on the mobile device.
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[0158] At block 324a, any remaining area on the display of the mobile
device may be
calculated. In one embodiment, the remaining area may be calculated by
subtracting the
vertical resolution (i.e., the height in pixels) of the scaled content
associated with the virtual
button deck display from the available vertical resolution of the mobile
device. The
remaining pixels from this subtraction multiplied by the width of the display
of the mobile
device may indicate the available area that may be used to display other game
content other
than the virtual button deck content. In some embodiments, the entire area may
be used
(e.g., as shown in Figures 32C-D) whereas in other embodiments, less than the
entire area
may be used (e.g., as shown in Figures 32E-F).
[0159] At block 326a, the optimum resolution of the remaining game content
may be
determined similar to how the optimum resolution was determined for the
content
associated with the virtual button deck. In some embodiments, optimum or
optimized
resolution refers to maintaining an optimized aspect ratio. As disclosed
herein, an
optimized aspect ratio may be considered optimized when the aspect ratio of
the
reformatted content is within 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, or any other desired
percentage of the
aspect ratio of the original content. For example, an adjustment may be made
if the optimal
vertical resolution of the remaining game content would lead to a horizontal
resolution (i.e.,
the width in pixels) requiring content to be cropped in either width or
height. Rather than
crop content, if the horizontal resolution would be too large for example, the
vertical
resolution of the remaining game content may be further scaled so that the
horizontal
resolution is not wider than the width of the display on the mobile device
(i.e., the width of
the display on the mobile device being the target resolution).
[0160] At block 328a, the maximum possible correct aspect ratio resolution
may be
determined based on the calculations performed in blocks 320a, 322a, 324a, and
326a.
Content scaled according to the maximum possible correct aspect ratio
resolution may look
like the content shown in Figures 32A-B but may too much unused display area.
[0161] At block 330a, the maximum possible stretched aspect ratio
resolution may be
determined. For example, the scaled width of the content will be the width of
the display on
the mobile device. The scaled height of the content will be based on the
height relationship
between the different content combined and displayed together. Content scaled
according
to the maximum possible stretched aspect ratio resolution may look like the
content shown
in Figures 32C-D, but may appear too stretched or otherwise distorted.
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[0162] At block 332a, the resolutions determined at blocks 328 and 330a may
be used
to produce a compromise between the two blocks 328a and 330a resulting in a
not too
stretched and not too letterboxed/pillarboxed image presented on the mobile
device display.
If the content associated with the virtual button deck was previously adjusted
then the
content may be rescaled so that the content does not end up too small. While
rescaling the
content associated with the virtual button deck may result in perceivable
stretching of the
image, such stretching may be within acceptable limits and is illustrated in
the embodiment
shown in Figure 34. Specifically, Figure 34 shows a V22 game presented on a
single
mobile device screen with game content associated with the main screen of the
V22 game
displayed at the correct aspect ratio, but with the virtual button deck
content of the V22
game being stretched according to a compromise stretch/aspect ratio. In
addition, Figure 34
also shows an embodiment where it has been determined that title screen
content associated
with the V22 game was not to be displayed to enable the displayed content to
be larger.
[0163] Referring to Figures 35A-D, two different mobile devices having
different
display characteristics are shown displaying two different games in the
portrait orientation
using the compromise method disclosed herein. The mobile device shown in
Figures 35A
and 35C has a 16:10 aspect ratio display, and the mobile device shown in
Figures 35B and
35D has a 4:3 aspect ratio display. Figures 35A and 35B illustrate that the
compromise
method disclosed herein enables a game (e.g., the V32 game) to be reformatted
to fit
various displays having different characteristics. Similarly, figures 35C and
35D illustrate
that the compromise method disclosed herein enables a game (e.g., the V22
game) to be
reformatted to fit various displays having different characteristics. While
the unused areas
on the 16:10 display and the 4:3 display may be different, the commonality
between the two
different presentations of each game is that the content is displayed at a
compromise
between displaying the correct aspect ratio (and possibly leaving large,
unused areas of the
display), and displaying too much deformation (while possible using the entire
display).
[0164] In some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed herein may
determine
if a game should be represented in either a landscape orientation or mode, or
a portrait
orientation or mode. Figure 36 depicts one example of one embodiment of an
orientation
determination process 350a. At block 352a, the process may determine the width
(in pixels)
and height (in pixels) of the mobile device display in portrait mode. At block
354a, the
process may determine the optimal portrait resolution based on the width and
height of the
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mobile device display determined at block 352a. In some embodiments, the
optimal portrait
resolution may simply be the width in pixels and the height in pixels
determined are found
at block 352a. At block 356a, the process may determine the portrait mode
aspect ratio
based on the optimal portrait resolution determined at block 354a.
[0165] At block 358a, the process may determine the width (in pixels) and
height (in
pixels) of the mobile device display in landscape mode. At block 360a, the
process may
determine the optimal landscape resolution based on the width and height of
the mobile
device display determined at block 358a. In some embodiments, the optimal
portrait
resolution may simply be the width in pixels and the height in pixels
determined are found
at block 358a. At block 362a, the process may determine the landscape mode
aspect ratio
based on the optimal landscape resolution determined at block 360a. Of course,
in some
embodiments, calculation of the resolution and aspect ratio of the mobile
device display
may be based on the portrait resolution and aspect ratio. For example, if the
process
determines (by, for example, querying a processing unit in the mobile device)
that the
portrait resolution is 640 pixels (W) by 960 pixels (H) and the portrait
aspect ratio
is 640/960 (0.67), then the landscape resolution may be determined by
switching the width
and height values (960 pixels (W) x 640 pixels (H) and reversing the
calculation for the
aspect ratio (960/640 which equals 1.5). In such an embodiment, the processing
unit in the
mobile device may not be queried a second time. Likewise, the aspect ratio for
the
[0166] Once the resolution or aspect ratio of the mobile device display for
the portrait
orientation and landscape orientation is known, these values may be used to
determine
whether the game content should be presented using the landscape or portrait
orientation of
the mobile device display. In some embodiments, the resolution or aspect ratio
of the two
different orientations of the mobile device display may be compared against
the resolution
or aspect ratio of the game content (i.e., the original game content before
reformatting
thereof). For example, at block 364a, the process may determine the resolution
and aspect
ratio of the game content (i.e., the original game content before reformatting
thereof) by, for
example, querying the gaming machine or a game server associated with the game
content.
It may then be determined which aspect ratio or resolution (i.e., landscape or
portrait) of the
mobile device is closest to the aspect ratio or resolution of the game content
at block 366a.
Whichever aspect ratio or resolution is closest, the corresponding orientation
is determined
to be the correct mode of display. For example, if it is determined at block
366a that the
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aspect ratio of the portrait mode of the mobile device display is less than or
equal to the
aspect ratio of the game content, then the process may determine that the game
content
should be displayed using the portrait mode of the mobile device display at
block 368a.
However, if it is determined at block 366a that the aspect ratio of the
portrait mode of the
mobile device display is greater than or equal to the aspect ratio of the game
content, then
the process may determine that the game content should be displayed using the
landscape
mode of the mobile device display at block 370a. In some embodiments, the
process 350a
may perform absolute subtraction, but computing the magnitude of a normalized
vector
subtraction may be used for better accuracy in other embodiments.
[0167] Figures 37A-B shows a mobile device with the display in the
landscape
orientation presenting content. The display in Figure 37A may have a 1.6
aspect ratio and
the display in Figure 37B may have a 4:3 aspect ratio.
[0168] As disclosed herein, the systems and methods enable existing content
(e.g., a
game) designed for a first computing device (e.g., a gaming machine) to be
displayed on a
second device (e.g., a mobile device) for which the content was not originally
designed.
The systems and methods do not require user intervention for determining
optimal
resolutions and aspect ratios for any mobile device and any content (e.g., any
games). The
systems and methods may maintain a consistent presentation of virtual button
deck content
across a range of mobile devices and content (e.g., any games). The systems
and methods
enable content to be displayed on a mobile device, for which it was not
designed, in the
correct orientation automatically. In some embodiments, the correct
orientation may be the
orientation that results in less deformation of the image data presented there
(e.g., less
stretching).
[0169] Once the EGM 130 and the mobile device 110 have been associated with
each
other, the game server 160 checks to see if a game session is in progress. If
a game session
is in progress, an option is presented on the EGM 130 and/or the mobile device
110 to move
the gaming experience to the EGM 130. FIG. 8 shows the mobile device-enhanced
system 100 presenting this option to the player.
[0170] Notably, as shown in FIG. 8, the game currently being played on the
EGM 130
may not be the same game as on the mobile device 110. In this example, the EGM
130 was
previously playing the "Lightning Sevens" game, but the game that is presented
on the
mobile device 100 is the "Total Blast" game. If the player chooses to continue
playing
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"Total Blast" game, the virtual instance of the "Lightning Sevens" game is
shut down or
may be hibernated. Using the mobile device-enhanced system 100, a hibernated
game may
be later "woken up" by the player when the player again needs to leave the
vicinity of the
EGM 130, but would still like to continue to play a game. In this manner, the
player can
use the mobile device-enhanced system 100 to pick up where he or she left off
with the
previous gaming session on the mobile device 110.
[0171] In another embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, a
further
enhancement is possible when the game on the mobile device 110 is re-directed
to an
EGM 130. Since the player typically has a mobile device 110 in their
possession containing
software that is capable of receiving a video stream and sending back
touchscreen player
input, the player's mobile device 100 can be used to enhance the gaming
experience at the
EGM 130.
[0172] An example of such an enhancement using the mobile device-enhanced
system 100 is shown in FIG. 9. In this example, the mobile device-enhanced
system 100 is
configured such that the Stream Redirector module 150 is sending outputs from
the virtual
game instance onto the displays of the EGM 130. In addition, the Stream
Redirector
module 150 is also sending a re-formatted and re-encoded copy of the iDeck
display (or
other virtual button deck display) over the network 140 to the mobile device
110. In this
example, this copy enables the player to use the mobile device 110 as a
replacement iDeck.
In this manner, a player can sit back and comfortably interact with the game
using their
mobile device 110 rather than leaning forward towards the EGM 130.
[0173] Further enhancements are also possible with this configuration. The
mobile
device 110 could have additional content displayed upon it, which could also
interact with
the displays of the EGM, as described with respect to Augmented Reality
Gaming, U.S.
Application Serial No. 12/969,462, which is hereby incorporated in its
entirety by reference.
[0174] Notably, the mobile device-enhanced system 100 lends itself to
personalized
gaming experiences. Since a gaming session is tied to a mobile device 110
and/or player
account, games may be designed that have longer storylines than a single spin.
If a player
closes the mobile application, the virtual game instance may remain active or
hibernated,
ready for the player to resume at a later time on the mobile device 110 or an
EGM 130.
Also, in some embodiments, the games 120 may be designed to operate
differently
depending upon the display device. For example, a dice game may be operated at
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EGM 130 by a button press or a touchscreen gesture, but when running on the
mobile
device 110, the accelerometer of the mobile device 110 (if available), may be
used to
"shake" the mobile device, and thus the virtual dice, to initiate a wager.
[0175] While the above embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced system 100
have
been discussed with respect to the use streaming technology to deliver the
content to the
display devices (e.g., the mobile device 110, the EGM 130, and the like),
other
embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced system 100 use conventional `thick-
client'
technology. In some such implementations, the mobile device may not be
"trusted" (by
gaming regulation standards), so a persistent network link would be used to
host the game
outcome in a secure server-based environment.
[0176] In such an embodiment, instead of stream redirection, both the EGM
130 and the
mobile device 110 would host software applications implementing the game
presentation.
At the point where the game is "transferred" from EGM 130 to mobile device 110
or vice-
versa, the game state instead would be transferred along with meter values to
the new client.
In the case of moving to the mobile device 110 (if the EGM 130 has been
actually
performing all of the game logic without a server), a new game virtual
instance would be
created at the server 160 for hosting the game 120 on the "insecure" mobile
device 110.
When moving from the mobile device 110 to a non-server based EGM 130, the data
from
the virtual instance would be passed to the EGM, and then the virtual instance
of the
game 120 would be shut down.
[0177] Additionally, preferred embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced
system 100
typically enable: (1) players to continue playing games even when they are not
at an
EGM 130; (2) players to have an EGM-like experience on mobile devices 110; (3)
games to
be enhanced to take into account the availability of a mobile device 110,
without the extra
costs associated with providing mobile devices 110 to the players; and (4)
game play to be
limited to only operate within Wi-Fi range of EGMs 130, which may be
advantageous for
gaming regulations.
[0178] Moreover, preferred embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced system
100
typically include structural and/or operational features such as: (1) seamless
transfer of
game play between mobile devices 110 and EGMs 130 (and vice-versa); (2) saving
of
gaming session for resumption later, either on a mobile device 110 or on an
EGM 130, and
(3) use of mobile device 110 as alternative input device to EGM 130.
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[0179] A preferred embodiment of this mobile device-enhanced system 100
enables
players to play game sessions across mobile and conventional EGM platforms as
shown in
FIG. 10. Additionally, some aspects of this mobile device-enhanced system 100
are
directed towards the transfer of funding between electronic gaming machines,
mobile
devices, and paper tickets, as well as cash/credit cards.
[0180] The Mobile Wallet:
[0181] In embodiment of this mobile device-enhanced system 100, the mobile
device 110 acts (from the player's perspective) as a mobile wallet. However,
in actual
implementation and functionality, the mobile device 110 does not store the
funds. These
financial transactions are stored in a database on a server. The mobile device
110 must
therefore have network connectivity to be functional. This is a configuration
that may be
achieved through the use of smart phones and ubiquitous nature of network
infrastructure,
such as 3G or WiFi mobile phone networks. In a preferred embodiment of the
mobile
device-enhanced system 100, the mobile device 110 also has a rear-facing
camera that is
capable of acquiring QR codes or barcodes. Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates
how a player
may interact with the mobile device-enhanced system 100.
[0182] In one embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, the
mobile
wallet is configured to interface with via an application that is loaded onto
the mobile
device 110 (as well as on kiosks and EGMs 130). Accordingly to one embodiment,
FIG. 12
shows how this helper application interacts with other elements of the mobile
device-
enhanced system 100, such as kiosks and EGMs 130.
[0183] In one embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, security
levels
are utilized for identification and/or authentication during the association
process. These
security components include identification and/or authentication of the device
ID of the
gaming machine and mobile device, the user name of the player, and the
password of the
player. In some embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced system 100,
biometrics are
used to assist in the security efforts of the employed to access the mobile
device and the
player's financial account. In such an embodiment, a biometric reader may be
used which
may take a variety of forms, for instance, a fingerprint reader, iris scan,
microphone and
voice recognition software, hand vein pattern detection, or combinations
thereof In
alternate embodiments, a patron's written signature may be digitized and
verified against a
signature database. For example, a player may sign on a surface computer
display with
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finger or stylus). Biometric analysis may be performed at the gaming system
(e.g. table or
arcade style gaming systems) or may be performed by remotely located remote
system
computer system.
[0184] Also, for example, a player's identity and proximity may be detected
by the
sensor subsystem or other subsystem of the gaming system. For instance, a
transponder
carried by a piece of media or a wireless communication device which is
carried by or
otherwise associated with a player may be wireless detected via wireless
interrogation. The
piece of media may take any of a variety of forms, for instance a loyalty
program card,
driver's license, credit, debit or prepaid card. Proximity data acquired by
the gaming system
may, for example, include a location in the casino (e.g., x, y, and z
coordinates or GPS
data). The gaming system or some other system may associate the proximity data
with a
player identifier. Based at least one part on the location coordinates, the
system may create
a logical relationship between the player identifier and a particular gaming
system, a table
identifier, seat identifier and/or player position identifier.
[0185] A player may identify him or herself at the gaming system by placing
a piece of
media (e.g. loyalty program or patron club card, driver's license, credit,
debit or prepaid
card) on the playing surface. A sensor subsystem may read the media, and a
CMP/CMS
system may identify the player from the read information. The display
subsystem may
display indicia representing cash and/or point balances one or more accounts
associated
with the player. The player may employ a user interface to transfer funds from
their
account, for example, to a credit meter of the gaming system or as virtual
chips. The
transfer may require entry and approval of a personal identification number
(PIN),
biometric data, and/or password. The user interface may include one or more
user selectable
icons displayed on or below the playing surface, or some separate device such
as a PIN pad,
keypad or keyboard, for example located at each seat. Transfers may employ
appropriate
security protocols and encryption, for example AFT or WAT transfer protocols
of SAS or
the GSA G25 class, respectively.
[0186] In some embodiments, the mobile device-enhanced system 100
facilitates
wireless transfer of funds from a personal computing device and/or wireless
communication
device capable of performing funds transfer using the Mobile Wallet inside the
device, from
a remote financial institution, or from other points or cash funds account.
Personal
computing and/or wireless communication devices may take a variety of forms,
for example
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a cell phone, iPhone, personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop computer,
BLACKBERRY,
TREO and other such devices. The device may establish wireless communication
with the
table or arcade style gaming system or with a casino patron account. Funds may
be debited
from or credited to the device or a remote financial account. The
communication protocol
may take a variety of forms, for example, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but other
standard
networking protocols are envisioned as long as the protocols support security
via
authentication and/or encryption of the transmissions and transactions.
[0187] Funding Game Play Using the Kiosk:
[0188] Another embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100
facilitates a
kiosk to be used to enable a player to add or release funds from their play
game. This is
performed in a manner somewhat similar to a conventional Ticket-In-Ticket-Out
(TITO)
system, but without the use of tickets, ticket printers, or ticket readers.
The kiosk does not
require a ticket printer (or bill validator) for other funding sources, such
as credit cards,
debit cards, and the like.
[0189] Referring now to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, in one embodiment of a kiosk
in the
mobile device-enhanced system 100 is shown. A player may swipe their credit
card or debit
card to access funds, or insert cash via a bill acceptor. These funding
sources may be
applied to a mobile wallet using the mobile device-enhanced system 100.
[0190] To apply funds to a mobile wallet using the mobile device-enhanced
system 100,
the player must either associate a mobile device 110 or player tracking card
with the kiosk.
As shown in FIG. 16, to associate a player tracking card with the kiosk, the
player simply
swipes the card when prompted. To associate with a mobile device 110 with the
kiosk, the
kiosk preferably uses a QR/barcode reader. The mobile wallet application has
the capability
to display a QR code on the display of the mobile device 110. In response to
prompting, the
player activates the association function of the mobile application and places
the mobile
device 110 (e.g., smart phone) under the barcode reader. As shown in FIG. 15,
in such an
embodiment, the kiosk application then reads the QR code and from the display
of the
mobile device 110 and uniquely identifies the mobile device, and thus, its
mobile wallet
account in the database.
[0191] In either case when the association is complete, funds are in the
mobile wallet
and can be used at an EGM 130 or on a mobile device 110 for game play. In a
further
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enhancement, for mobile device play, the player can choose the initial game or
available
game suite from the kiosk as well.
[0192] Funding Game Play at an EGM:
[0193] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, using the mobile device-enhanced system
100, a
player may also fund game play at an EGM 130 using a mobile device 110 or
player card.
Specifically, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 each show possible transaction flows. In one
of the
scenarios shown, a player card is not used, while in the other scenario shown,
a player card
is in use.
[0194] In one embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100 where a
mobile
device 110 is being used, the player associates the mobile device 110 with the
EGM 130.
This is achieved by bringing up an association function of the mobile device
110, as shown
in FIG. 19. In this embodiment, the player then points the camera of the
mobile device 110
at the EGM 130, which is modified to display a QR code on its artwork as seen
in FIG. 20.
This QR code uniquely identifies the EGM 130 and enables the mobile wallet
helper
application to direct the funds being withdrawn to be correctly deposited on
the EGM. As
shown in FIG. 21, the user interface for this transaction may be presented on
the mobile
device 110. Conversely, funds won or inserted into the bill acceptor of the
EGM 130 may
be delivered to the mobile wallet upon cashout, for use on the mobile device
110 or at a
kiosk, as described below.
[0195] Multi-Platform Game Play:
[0196] In some preferred embodiments, a player may switch their game play
from an
EGM to a mobile device and back again. This type of game transfer between
platforms is
referred to herein as "Games on the Go." Once a mobile device 110 and an EGM
130 are
associated with each other, a gaming session can be moved from one to the
other.
Additionally, once a mobile device 110 and an EGM 130 are associated with each
other,
funding also can be moved from one to the other. In one embodiment of the
mobile device-
enhanced system 100, this association may be preferably performed by the QR
code
acquisition described above with respect to FIG. 20, or via the insertion of a
player tracking
card to associate a player tracking account with both the EGM 130 and mobile
device 110.
In addition to these preferred methods, alternative methods could include
manual input of
an account name/PIN at the EGM 130 or communication over Bluetooth or NFC
between
the EGM and the mobile device 110.
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[0197] Transactions which may trigger the movement of the session could
include a QR
scan by the player, which would move the gaming session from a mobile device
110 to the
EGM 130. As shown in FIG. 22, pressing the cashout button at the EGM 130 would
initiate
(or prompt) movement of the gaming session from the EGM to the mobile device
110 (i.e.,
in the opposite direction). As shown in FIG. 23, in the case of a transaction
in which a
player card is being used, carding out would also prompt movement (i.e.,
transfer) of the
gaming session.
[0198] Kiosk Credit Redemption:
[0199] As noted above, in some preferred embodiments of the mobile device-
enhanced
system 100, the kiosk may be used to redeem credits as cash or direct funding
into an
external (bank/credit card) account. The transaction flows for these
embodiments are
shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25. Specifically, in FIG. 24 the players use their
mobile
devices 110 to identify the correct mobile wallet account to the kiosk. In one
preferred
embodiment, the players do this by pressing "Redeem ticket" on their mobile
device 110.
This causes a mobile device 110 to display a QR code which can be scanned by
the
QR/barcode scanner affixed to the kiosk. Importantly, this transaction
corresponds to the
redemption process of a conventional physical ticket (which may be redeemed by
being
scanned by the same scanner).
[0200] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 25, if a player has a player
tracking card, the
player can insert this card in the kiosk. This allows the kiosk to identify
the mobile wallet
account and present options to the player for withdrawal of cash.
[0201] Physical Ticket Acquisition By A Mobile Device:
[0202] An additional feature of the mobile device-enhanced system 100
enables a
player to convert existing physical tickets into mobile wallet funds by the
use of a barcode
scanner application built into the mobile application. This scanner
application uses the rear
camera on the mobile device 110 to read the barcode on the ticket and deposit
the funds into
the mobile wallet account. The physical ticket can then be discarded.
[0203] In one embodiment of the mobile device-enhanced system 100, the
system
enables players to easily consolidate tickets and also convert tickets into
funds even after
they have left the casino, which is conventionally difficult. Such funds may
be used for
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online game play, or at a later date in the casino without having to keep
possession of
physical tickets.
[0204] In some embodiments, the mobile device-enhanced system 100 provides
features
that include: (1) integration with existing ticket printer and bill acceptor
infrastructure, (2)
handling both player tracked accounts and anonymous players, (3) ease of use
for player
comfortable with TITO (inserting their phone into a scanner rather than a
ticket, similar to
the way supermarket self-serve checkouts or boarding pass terminals at
airports may work),
(4) not requiring extra peripherals at the EGM (since association is achieved
by display of
QR code on artwork and only a software change is needed), and (5) enabling
players to fund
an EGM from their mobile device or vice versa.
[0205] Preferred embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced system 100
typically
include: (1) a smartphone or tablet with rear facing camera and network
connectivity (e.g.,
WiFi or 3G), (2) QR code technology as the preferred visual encoding of
identifiers, and (3)
a Kiosk with an optical scanner for reading barcodes/QR codes. Moreover,
preferred
embodiments of the mobile device-enhanced system 100 typically include
structural and/or
operational features such as: (1) use of mobile device as a way of
transferring funds
between multiple EGMs or EGMs and kiosks, (2) conversion of paper tickets into
mobile
wallet funds, and (3) seamless transfer of funds along with game session.
[0206] A preferred embodiment of this gaming system, which includes cross
platform
persistent gaming sessions using a mobile device, leverages existing mobile
"smart
phones." By way of example only, and not by way of limitation, such smart
phones include
Apple's iPhone series, Google's Droid and Nexus One series, Palm's Pre series,
and RIM's
Blackberry series of smart phones. Most, if not all, of these smart phones
include a built-in
camera that can be controlled by software applications. Accordingly, preferred
embodiments of this gaming system "move" the camera from the gaming machine to
a
smart phone. In more detail, the components that make up the gaming system
having cross
platform persistent gaming sessions using a mobile device may be seen in FIGS.
10-25.
[0207] The captured image is also sent up to the CMS via the secure
cellular internet
connection. As an alternative to the use of secure connections over the
internet, a WiFi
local network may also be used if it is present in the casino. At the CMS, the
image
analysis software passes the self-portrait to the facial recognition system.
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[0208] In addition to the credentials described above, in another aspect of
some
embodiments, the smart phone itself may be "married" to a particular user. In
such
embodiments, in every transaction a unique identifier for the phone may also
be transmitted.
This identifier is set at the time of installation, and cannot be changed by
the technician.
Alternatively, the phone's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)
number or other
cellular identifier may be used.
[0209] In addition to a barcode on the exterior of the gaming machine, each
peripheral
within the machine may also have a barcode. By scanning the barcode with the
camera on
the mobile phone using the mobile phone application, context sensitive help
may also be
retrieved for maintaining the peripheral, or for determining the asset status
or configuration
of a peripheral.
[0210] In such embodiments of the disclosed gaming system, smart phones are
utilized
that include a built in gyroscope, as well as location tracking technology
such as a digital
compass and a GPS system (Global Positioning System). These features enable
the
accurate position and orientation of the smart phones and its user to be
derived.
Additionally, some other embodiments of the disclosed gaming system use object
recognition and OCR (Optical character recognition) techniques combined with
location/orientation derivation to provide players in casinos easy ways of
finding games,
progressive jackpots, particular machines, and other players of their choice.
[0211] In another aspect of some embodiments, gaming systems are utilized
that include
mobile gaming capabilities. In such embodiments of the disclosed gaming
system, smart
phones are utilized that include built in object recognition technologies and
OCR (Optical
character recognition) techniques combined with location/orientation
derivation to provide
players in casinos with additional gaming options and opportunities. In one
embodiment of
a gaming system that includes mobile gaming capabilities, the gaming system
leverages the
possession by players of smart phones to enable the manufacturer to build
profiles of
players and target valuable players for promotions of key products of the
manufacture.
[0212] Continuing, in some embodiments of the gaming system having mobile
gaming
capabilities, the "Geographic Restrictions" file includes some combination of
cell tower
identifier, reverse DNS lookup, and GPS address to restrict the eligibility of
some bonuses.
In another aspect of some embodiments, the "Demographic Restrictions" file
includes some
bonuses that are available to players in certain demographic groups such as
age-ranges. In
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still another aspect, the "Time Restrictions" field includes bonuses that may
be only
available at certain times of the week or for a fixed length of time.
[0213] Referring now to the smart phone application of the gaming system
having
mobile gaming capabilities, the smart phone application is comprised of a
number of
smaller modules. In some embodiments, the smart phone application has a user
interface
that interfaces with the Player Web Interface module. This enables the smart
phone
application to provide periodic updates with new offers which may be targeted
to the player.
[0214] An alternative for players who do not have access to a smart phone
is that
casinos or bars may be supplied with phones capable of running the mobile
phone
application. In the event of a qualifying win, the player calls for assistance
and has an
attendant or bartender performs the photo verification process.
[0215] In some embodiments of the disclosed gaming system, players may use
their
smart phone to take a photo of the machine and obtain access to the following
capabilities:
(a) Tournament across venues (e.g., each player signs in, time limited, and
the like); (b) take
photo of a game (or barcode) to download a mobile application version of the
game; (c)
obtain a free copy of the mobile game for winning some trivial amount (which
ensures
players play a game a minimum amount of time); and (d) take a photo of game to
see what
gaming machine manufacturer offers are available.
[0216] Some preferred implementations of the disclosed embodiments use (1)
a smart
phone for the client, (2) any suitable web server for communication with the
smart phone
and registration of players, and (3) OpenCV image analysis software.
Additionally, some
embodiments provide features that include, by way of example only: (1)
alternative player
tracking, bonusing, and a marketing method for gaming manufacturers, (2) the
capabilities
to work with existing games without requiring any modification, and (3)
leveraging existing
smart mobile phone infrastructure. In other aspects, some embodiments provide:
(1)
detection of a win by image analysis, without any access to game code; (2)
detection of
fraudulent entries by analysis of symbols displayed, meters on the screen,
location and time
of image taken; (3) capture of multiple images to prevent fraud and also more
accurately
detect wins; (4) alternative method of determining player value (e.g., using
win amounts
instead of using coin in); (5) enabling the addition of ad-hoc tournaments to
existing games;
and (6) enabling the targeted marketing of new games for valuable players.
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[0217] In accordance with one or more embodiments, FIGS. 26 and 27
illustrate a
gaming machine 400 including cabinet housing 420, primary game display 440
upon which
a primary game and feature game may be displayed, top box 450 which may
display
multiple progressives that may be won during play of the primary or feature
game, player-
activated buttons 460, player tracking panel 436, bill/voucher acceptor 480,
and one or more
speakers 490. Cabinet housing 420 is a self-standing unit that is generally
rectangular in
shape and may be manufactured with reinforced steel or other rigid materials
which are
resistant to tampering and vandalism. Cabinet housing 420 houses a processor,
circuitry,
and software (not shown) for receiving signals from the player-activated
buttons 460,
operating the games, and transmitting signals to the respective displays and
speakers. Any
shaped cabinet may be implemented with any embodiment of gaming machine 400 so
long
as it provides access to a player for playing a game. For example, cabinet 420
may
comprise a slant-top, bar-top, or table-top style cabinet. The operation of
gaming
machine 400 is described more fully below.
[0218] In another aspect of one embodiment, the plurality of player-
activated
buttons 460 may be used for various functions such as, but not limited to,
selecting a wager
denomination, selecting a game to be played, selecting a wager amount per
game, initiating
a game, or cashing out money from gaming machine 400. The Buttons 460
functions to
input mechanisms and may include mechanical buttons, electromechanical buttons
or touch
screen buttons. Optionally, a handle 485 may be rotated by a player to
initiate a game.
[0219] In other embodiments, buttons 460 may be replaced with various other
input
mechanisms known in the art such as, but not limited to, a touch screen
system, touch pad,
track ball, mouse, switches, toggle switches, or other input means used to
accept player
input. For example, one input means is a universal button module as disclosed
in U.S.
Application Serial Number 11/106,212, entitled "Universal Button Module,"
filed on
April 14, 2005, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
Generally, the
universal button module provides a dynamic button system adaptable for use
with various
games and capable of adjusting to gaming systems having frequent game changes.
More
particularly, the universal button module may be used in connection with
playing a game on
a gaming machine and may be used for such functions as selecting the number of
credits to
bet per hand. In other embodiments, a virtual button deck may be used to
provide similar
capabilities. An example of a virtual button deck is disclosed in U.S.
Application Serial
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Number 11/938,203, entitled, "Game Related Systems, Methods, and Articles That
Combine Virtual and Physical Elements," filed on November 9, 2007, which is
hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference.
[0220] Cabinet housing 420 may optionally include top box 450 which
contains "top
glass" 452 comprising advertising or payout information related to the game or
games
available on gaming machine 400. Player tracking panel 436 includes player
tracking card
reader 434 and player tracking display 432. Voucher printer 430 may be
integrated into
player tracking panel 436 or installed elsewhere in cabinet housing 420 or top
box 450.
[0221] Game display 440 presents a game of chance wherein a player receives
one or
more outcomes from a set of potential outcomes. For example, one such game of
chance is
a video slot machine game. In other aspects of the invention, gaming machine
400 may
present a video or mechanical reel slot machine, a video keno game, a lottery
game, a bingo
game, a Class II bingo game, a roulette game, a craps game, a blackjack game,
a mechanical
or video representation of a primary wheel game or the like.
[0222] Mechanical or video/mechanical embodiments may include game displays
such
as mechanical reels, wheels, or dice as required to present the game to the
player. In
video/mechanical or pure video embodiments, game display 440 is typically a
CRT or a
flat-panel display in the form of, but not limited to, liquid crystal, plasma,
electroluminescent, vacuum fluorescent, field emission, or any other type of
panel display
known or developed in the art. Game display 440 may be mounted in either a
"portrait" or
"landscape" orientation and be of standard or "widescreen" dimensions (i.e., a
ratio of one
dimension to another of at least 16 x 9). For example, a widescreen display
may be 32
inches wide by 18 inches tall. A widescreen display in a "portrait"
orientation may be 32
inches tall by 18 inches wide. FIG. 27 illustrates an example of a portrait
mode game
display 440 having widescreen dimensions in accordance with one embodiment of
the
invention. Additionally, game display 440 preferably includes a touch screen
or touch glass
system (not shown) and presents player interfaces such as, but not limited to,
credit meter
(not shown), win meter (not shown) and touch screen buttons (not shown). An
example of a
touch glass system is disclosed in U.S. Patent 6,942,571, entitled "Gaming
Device with
Direction and Speed Control of Mechanical Reels Using Touch Screen," which is
hereby
incorporated in its entirety by reference. Furthermore, as described above,
game
display 440 may include transparent portions which cover and may interact with
displays on
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mechanical reels, as described in U.S. Application Serial Number 12/113,112,
entitled,
"MECHANICAL REELS WITH INTERACTIVE DISPLAY," filed on April 30, 2008,
which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
[0223] Game display 440 may also present information such as, but not
limited to,
player information, advertisements and casino promotions, graphic displays,
news and
sports updates, or may even offer an alternate game. This information may be
generated
through a host computer networked with gaming machine 400 on its own
initiative, or it
may be obtained by request of the player using either (1) one or more of the
plurality of
player-activated buttons 460; (2) the game display itself, if game display 440
comprises a
touch screen or similar technology; (3) buttons (not shown) mounted on game
display 440
which may permit selections such as those found on an ATM machine, where
legends on
the screen are associated with respective selecting buttons; or (4) any player
input device
that offers the required functionality.
[0224] Cabinet housing 420 incorporates a single game display 440. However,
in
alternate embodiments, cabinet housing 420 or top box 450 may house one or
more
additional displays 453 or components used for various purposes including
additional game
play screens, animated "top glass," progressive meters or mechanical or
electromechanical
devices (not shown) such as, but not limited to, wheels, pointers or reels.
The additional
displays may or may not include a touch screen or touch glass system.
[0225] Referring to FIGS. 28a and 28b, electronic gaming machine 501 is
shown in
accordance with one or more embodiments. Electronic gaming machine 501
includes base
game integrated circuit board 503 (EGM Processor Board) connected through
serial bus
line 505 to game monitoring unit (GMU) 507 (such as a Bally MC300 or ACSC NT),
and
player interface integrated circuit board (PIB) 509 connected to player
interface devices 511
over bus lines 513, 515, 517, 519, 521, 523. Printer 525 is connected to PIB
509 and
GMU 507 over bus lines 527, 529. EGM Processor Board 503, PIB 509, and GMU 507
connect to Ethernet switch 531 over bus lines 533, 535, 537. Ethernet switch
531 connects
to a slot management system (SMS) and a casino management system (CMS) network
over
bus line 539. GMU 507 also may connect to the SMS and CMS network over bus
line 541.
Speakers 543 connect through audio mixer 545 and bus lines 547, 549 to EGM
Processor
Board 503 and PIB 509. The proximity and biometric devices and circuitry may
be
installed by upgrading a commercially available PIB 509, such as a Bally iVIEW
unit.
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Coding executed on EGM Processor Board 503, PID 509, and/or GMU 507 may be
upgraded to integrate a game having an interactive wheel game as is more fully
described
herein.
[0226] Peripherals 551 connect through bus 553 to EGM Processor Board 503.
For
example, a bill/ticket acceptor is typically connected to a game input-output
board 553
which is, in turn, connected to a conventional central processing unit ("CPU")
board 503,
such as an Intel Pentium microprocessor mounted on a gaming motherboard. I/0
board 553
may be connected to CPU processor board 503 by a serial connection such as RS-
232 or
USB or may be attached to the processor by a bus such as, but not limited to,
an ISA bus.
The gaming motherboard may be mounted with other conventional components, such
as are
found on conventional personal computer motherboards, and loaded with a game
program
which may include a gaming machine operating system (OS), such as a Bally
Alpha OS.
Processor board 503 executes a game program that causes processor board 503 to
play a
game. In one embodiment, the game program provides a slot machine game having
an
interactive wheel feature game. The various components and included devices
may be
installed with conventionally and/or commercially available components,
devices, and
circuitry into a conventionally and/or commercially available gaming machine
cabinet,
examples of which are described above.
[0227] When a player has inserted a form of currency such as, for example
and without
limitation, paper currency, coins or tokens, cashless tickets or vouchers,
electronic funds
transfers or the like into the currency acceptor, a signal is sent by way of
I/0 board 553 to
processor board 503 which, in turn, assigns an appropriate number of credits
for play in
accordance with the game program. The player may further control the operation
of the
gaming machine by way of other peripherals 551, for example, to select the
amount to
wager via electromechanical or touch screen buttons. The game starts in
response to the
player operating a start mechanism such as a handle or touch screen icon.
[0228] The game program includes a random number generator to provide a
display of
randomly selected indicia on one or more displays. In some embodiments, the
random
number generator may be physically separate from gaming machine 400. For
example, it
may be part of a central determination host system which provides random game
outcomes
to the game program. Thereafter, the player may or may not interact with the
game through
electromechanical or touch screen buttons to change the displayed indicia.
Finally,
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processor board 503 under control of the game program and OS compares the
final display
of indicia to a pay table. The set of possible game outcomes may include a
subset of
outcomes related to the triggering of a feature game. In the event the
displayed outcome is
a member of this subset, processor board 503, under control of the game
program and by
way of I/0 Board 553, may cause feature game play to be presented on a feature
display.
[0229] Predetermined payout amounts for certain outcomes, including feature
game
outcomes, are stored as part of the game program. Such payout amounts are, in
response to
instructions from processor board 503, provided to the player in the form of
coins, credits or
currency via I/O board 553 and a pay mechanism, which may be one or more of a
credit
meter, a coin hopper, a voucher printer, an electronic funds transfer protocol
or any other
payout means known or developed in the art.
[0230] In various embodiments, the game program is stored in a memory
device (not
shown) connected to or mounted on the gaming motherboard. By way of example,
but not
by limitation, such memory devices include external memory devices, hard
drives, CD-
ROMs, DVDs, and flash memory cards. In an alternative embodiment, the game
programs
are stored in a remote storage device. In one embodiment, the remote storage
device is
housed in a remote server. The gaming machine may access the remote storage
device via a
network connection, including but not limited to, a local area network
connection, a TCP/IP
connection, a wireless connection, or any other means for operatively
networking
components together. Optionally, other data including graphics, sound files
and other
media data for use with the EGM are stored in the same or a separate memory
device (not
shown). Some or all of the game program and its associated data may be loaded
from one
memory device into another, for example, from flash memory to random access
memory
(RAM).
[0231] In one or more embodiments, peripherals may be connected to the
system over
Ethernet connections directly to the appropriate server or tied to the system
controller inside
the EGM using USB, serial or Ethernet connections. Each of the respective
devices may
have upgrades to their firmware utilizing these connections.
[0232] GMU 507 includes an integrated circuit board, a GMU processor, and
memory
including coding for network communications, such as the G25 (game-to-system)
protocol
from the Gaming Standards Association, Las Vegas, NV, used for system
communications
over the network. As shown, GMU 507 may connect to card reader 555 through bus
557
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and may thereby obtain player card information and transmit the information
over the
network through bus 541. Gaming activity information may be transferred by the
EGM
Processor Board 503 to GMU 507 where the information may be translated into a
network
protocol, such as S2S, for transmission to a server, such as a player tracking
server, where
information about a player's playing activity may be stored in a designated
server database.
[0233] PID 509 includes an integrated circuit board, PID processor, and
memory which
includes an operating system, such as Windows CE, a player interface program
which may
be executable by the PID processor together with various input/output (I/0)
drivers for
respective devices which connect to PID 509, such as player interface devices
511, and
which may further include various games or game components playable on PID 509
or
playable on a connected network server and PID 509, which is operable as the
player
interface. PID 509 connects to card reader 555 through bus 523, display 559
through video
decoder 561 and bus 521, such as an LVDS or VGA bus.
[0234] As part of its programming, the PID processor executes coding to
drive
display 559 and provides messages and information to a player. Touch screen
circuitry
interactively connects display 559 and video decoder 561 to PID 509, such that
a player
may input information and cause the information to be transmitted to PID 509
either on the
player's initiative or responsive to a query by PID 509. Additionally, soft
keys 565 connect
through bus 517 to PID 509 and operates together with display 559 to provide
information
or queries to a player and receive responses or queries from the player. PID
509, in turn,
communicates over the CMS/SMS network through Ethernet switch 531 and
busses 535, 539 and with respective servers, such as a player tracking server.
[0235] Player interface devices 511 are linked into the virtual private
network of the
system components in gaming machine 501. The system components include the
iVIEW
processing board and game monitoring unit (GMU) processing board. These system
components may connect over a network to the slot management system (such as a
commercially-available Bally SDS/SMS) and/or casino management system (such as
a
commercially-available Bally CMP/CMS).
[0236] The GMU system component has a connection to the base game through a
serial
SAS connection and is connected to various servers using, for example, HTTPs
over
Ethernet. Through this connection, firmware, media, operating system software,
or gaming
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machine configurations can be downloaded to the system components from the
servers.
This data is authenticated prior to installation on the system components.
[0237] The system components include the iVIEW processing board and game
monitoring unit (GMU) processing board. The GMU and iVIEW (or other player
tracking
unit) can be combined into one like the commercially available Bally GTM iVIEW
device.
This device may have a video mixing technology to mix the EGM processor's
video signals
with the iVIEW display onto the top box monitor or any monitor on the gaming
device.
[0238] In accordance with one or more embodiments, FIG. 29 is a functional
block
diagram of a gaming kernel 600 of a game program under control of processor
board 503,
using gaming kernel 600 by calling it into application programming interface
(API) 602,
which is part of game manager 603. The components of game kernel 600, as shown
in
FIG. 29, are only illustrative and should not be considered limiting. For
example, the
number of managers may be changed, additional managers may be added or some
managers
may be removed without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention.
[0239] As shown in the example, there are three layers: a hardware layer
605; an
operating system layer 610, such as, but not limited to, Linux; and a game
kernel layer 600
having game manager 603 therein. In one or more embodiments, the use of a
standard
operating system 610, such as a UNIX-based or Windows-based operating system,
allows
game developers interfacing to the gaming kernel to use any of a number of
standard
development tools and environments available for the operating systems. This
is in contrast
to the use of proprietary, low-level interfaces which may require significant
time and
engineering investments for each game upgrade, hardware upgrade, or feature
upgrade. The
game kernel layer 600 executes at the user level of the operating system 610,
and itself
contains a major component called the I/O Board Server 615. To properly set
the bounds of
game application software (making integrity checking easier), all game
applications interact
with gaming kernel 600 using a single API 602 in game manager 603. This
enables game
applications to make use of a well-defined, consistent interface, as well as
making access
points to gaming kernel 600 controlled, where overall access is controlled
using separate
processes.
[0240] For example, game manager 603 parses an incoming command stream and,
when a command dealing with I/O comes in (arrow 604), the command is sent to
an
applicable library routine 612. Library routine 612 decides what it needs from
a device, and
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sends commands to I/O Board Server 615 (see arrow 608). A few specific drivers
remain in
operating system 610's kernel, shown as those below line 606. These are built-
in, primitive,
or privileged drivers that are (i) general, (ii) kept to a minimum, and (iii)
easier to leave than
extract. In such cases, the low-level communications are handled within
operating
system 610, and the contents are passed to library routines 612.
[0241] Thus, in a few cases, library routines may interact with drivers
inside operating
system 610, which is why arrow 608 is shown as having three directions
(between library
utilities 612 and I/0 Board Server 615, or between library utilities 612 and
certain drivers in
operating system 610). No matter which path is taken, the logic needed to work
with each
device is coded into modules in the user layer of the diagram. Operating
system 610 is kept
as simple, stripped down, and common across as many hardware platforms as
possible. The
library utilities and user-level drivers change as dictated by the game
cabinet or game
machine in which it will run. Thus, each game cabinet or game machine may have
an
industry standard processor board 505 connected to a unique, relatively dumb,
and as
inexpensive as possible I/O adapter board 540, plus a gaming kernel 600 which
will have
the game-machine-unique library routines and I/O Board Server 615 components
needed to
enable game applications to interact with the gaming machine cabinet. Note
that these
differences are invisible to the game application software with the exception
of certain
functional differences (i.e., if a gaming cabinet has stereo sound, the game
application will
be able to make use of API 602 to use the capability over that of a cabinet
having traditional
monaural sound).
[0242] Game manager 603 provides an interface into game kernel 600,
providing
consistent, predictable, and backwards-compatible calling methods, syntax, and
capabilities
by way of game application API 602. This enables the game developer to be free
of dealing
directly with the hardware, including the freedom to not have to deal with low-
level drivers
as well as the freedom to not have to program lower-level managers 630,
although lower-
level managers 630 may be accessible through game manager 603's interface 602
if a
programmer has the need. In addition to the freedom derived from not having to
deal with
the hardware level drivers and the freedom of having consistent, callable,
object-oriented
interfaces to software managers of those components (drivers), game manager
603 provides
access to a set of upper level managers 620 also having the advantages of
consistent
callable, object-oriented interfaces, and further providing the types and
kinds of base
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functionality required in casino-type games. Game manager 603, providing all
the
advantages of its consistent and richly functional interface 602 as supported
by the rest of
game kernel 600, thus provides a game developer with a multitude of
advantages.
[0243] Game manager 603 may have several objects within itself, including
an
initialization object (not shown). The initialization object performs the
initialization of the
entire game machine, including other objects, after game manager 603 has
started its
internal objects and servers in appropriate order. In order to carry out this
function, the
kernel's configuration manager 621 is among the first objects to be started.
The
configuration manager 621 has the data needed to initialize and correctly
configure other
objects or servers.
[0244] The upper level managers 620 of game kernel 600 may include game
event log
manager 622 which provides, at the least, a logging or logger base class,
enabling other
logging objects to be derived from this base object. The logger object is a
generic logger.
Otherwise stated, the logger object is not aware of the contents of logged
messages and
events. The log manager's (622) job is to log events in non-volatile event log
space. The
size of the space may be fixed, although the size of the logged event is
typically not. When
the event space or log space fills up, one embodiment deletes the oldest
logged event (each
logged event has a time/date stamp, as well as other needed information such
as length),
providing space to record the new event. In this embodiment, the most recent
events are
found in the log space, regardless of their relative importance. Further
provided is the
capability to read the stored logs for event review.
[0245] In accordance with one embodiment, meter manager 623 manages the
various
meters embodied in the game kernel 600. This includes the accounting
information for the
game machine and game play. There are hard meters (counters) and soft meters.
The soft
meters may be stored in non-volatile storage such as non-volatile battery-
backed RAM to
prevent loss. Further, a backup copy of the soft meters may be stored in a
separate non-
volatile storage such as EEPROM. In one embodiment, meter manager 623 receives
its
initialization data for the meters, during startup, from configuration manager
621. While
running, the cash-in (624) and cash-out (625) managers call the meter
manager's (623)
update functions to update the meters. Meter manager 623 will, on occasion,
create backup
copies of the soft meters by storing the soft meters' readings in EEPROM. This
is
accomplished by calling and using EEPROM manager 631.
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[0246] In accordance with still other embodiments, progressive manager 626
manages
progressive games playable from the game machine. Event manager 627 is
generic, like log
manager 622, and is used to manage various gaming machine events. Focus
manager 628
correlates which process has control of various focus items. Tilt manager 632
is an object
that receives a list of errors (if any) from configuration manager 621 at
initialization, and
during game play from processes, managers, drivers, and the like, that may
generate errors.
A random number generator manager 629 is provided to allow easy programming
access to
a random number generator (RING), as an (RNG) is required in virtually all
casino-style
(gambling) games. The RING manager 629 includes the capability of using
multiple seeds.
[0247] In accordance with one or more embodiments, a credit manager object
(not
shown) manages the current state of credits (cash value or cash equivalent) in
the game
machine, including any available winnings, and further provides denomination
conversion
services. Cash out manager 625 has the responsibility of configuring and
managing
monetary output devices. During initialization, cash out manager 625, using
data from
configuration manager 621, sets the cash-out devices correctly and selects any
selectable
cash-out denominations. During play, a game application may post a cash-out
event
through the event manager 627 (the same way all events are handled), and using
a callback
posted by cash-out manager 625, and cash-out manager 625 is informed of the
event. Cash-
out manager 625 updates the credit object, updates its state in non-volatile
memory, and
sends an appropriate control message to the device manager that corresponds to
the
dispensing device. As the device dispenses dispensable media, there typically
are event
messages being sent back and forth between the device and cash-out manager 625
until the
dispensing finishes. After the dispensing finishes, the cash-out manager 625,
having
updated the credit manager and any other game state (such as some associated
with meter
manager 623) that needs to be updated for this set of actions, sends a cash
out completion
event to event manager 627 and to the game application thereby. The cash in
manager 624
functions similarly to cash out manager 625, addressing requirements for
controlling,
interfacing, and managing actions associated with cashing in events, cash in
devices, and
associated meters and crediting.
[0248] In a further example, in accordance with one or more embodiments,
I/O
server 615 may write data to the gaming machine EEPROM memory, which is
located in
the gaming machine cabinet and holds meter storage that must be kept even in
the event of
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power failure. Game manager 603 calls the I/0 library functions to write data
to the
EEPROM. The I/0 server 615 receives the request and starts a low priority
EEPROM
thread 616 within I/O server 615 to write the data. This thread uses a
sequence of an 8-bit
command, and data writes to the EEPROM device to write the appropriate data in
the
proper location within the device. Any errors detected are sent as IPC
messages to game
manager 603. Preferably, all of this processing is asynchronously performed.
[0249] In accordance with one embodiment, button module 617 within I/O
server 615,
polls (or is sent) the state of buttons every two milliseconds. These inputs
are debounced by
keeping a history of input samples. Certain sequences of samples are required
to detect a
button was pressed, in which case the I/O server 615 sends an inter-process
communication
event to game manager 603 that a button was pressed or released. In some
embodiments,
the gaming machine may have intelligently distributed I/O which debounces the
buttons, in
which case button module 617 may be able to communicate with the remote
intelligent
button processor to retrieve the button events and simply relay them to game
manager 603
via IPC messages. In still another embodiment, the I/O library may be used for
pay-out
requests from the game application. For example, hopper module 618 must start
the hopper
motor, constantly monitoring the coin sensing lines of the hopper, debounce
them, and send
an IPC message to the game manager 603 when each coin is paid.
[0250] Further details, including disclosure of lower level fault handling
and/or
processing, are included in U.S. Patent 7,351,151 entitled "Gaming Board Set
and Gaming
Kernel for Game Cabinets" and provisional U.S. patent application number
60/313,743,
entitled "Form Fitting Upgrade Board Set For Existing Game Cabinets," filed
August 20, 2001; said patent and provisional application are both fully
incorporated herein
in their entirety by explicit reference.
[0251] Referring to FIGS. 30a and 30b, enterprise gaming system 701 is
shown in
accordance with one or more embodiments. Enterprise gaming system 701 may
include one
casino or multiple locations and generally includes a network of gaming
machines 703,
floor management system (SMS) 705, and casino management system (CMS) 707.
SMS 705 may include load balancer 711, network services servers 713, player
interface
(iVIEW) content servers 715, certificate services server 717, floor radio
dispatch
receiver/transmitters (RDC) 719, floor transaction servers 721 and game
engines 723, each
of which may connect over network bus 725 to gaming machines 703. CMS 707 may
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include location tracking server 731, WRG RTCEM server 733, data warehouse
server 735,
player tracking server 737, biometric server 739, analysis services server
741, third party
interface server 743, slot accounting server 745, floor accounting server 747,
progressives
server 749, promo control server 751, bonus game (such as Bally Live Rewards)
server 753,
download control server 755, player history database 757, configuration
management
server 759, browser manager 761, tournament engine server 763 connecting
through
bus 765 to server host 767 and gaming machines 703.
[0252] The various servers and gaming machines 703 may connect to the
network with
various conventional network connections (such as, for example, USB, serial,
parallel,
RS485, and Ethernet). Additional servers which may be incorporated with CMS
707
include a responsible gaming limit server (not shown), advertisement server
(not shown),
and a control station server (not shown) where an operator or authorized
personnel may
select options and input new programming to adjust each of the respective
servers and
gaming machines 703. SMS 705 may also have additional servers including a
control
station (not shown) through which authorized personnel may select options,
modify
programming, and obtain reports of the connected servers and devices, and
obtain reports.
The various CMS and SMS servers are descriptively entitled to reflect the
functional
executable programming stored thereon and the nature of databases is
maintained and
utilized in performing their respective functions.
[0253] Gaming machines 703 include various peripheral components that may
be
connected with USB, serial, parallel, RS-485 or Ethernet devices/architectures
to the system
components within the respective gaming machine. The GMU has a connection to
the base
game through a serial SAS connection. The system components in the gaming
cabinet may
be connected to the servers using HTTPs or G2S over Ethernet. Using CMS 707
and/or
SMS 305 servers and devices, firmware, media, operating systems, and
configurations may
be downloaded to the system components of respective gaming machines for
upgrading or
managing floor content and offerings in accordance with operator selections or
automatically depending upon CMS 707 and SMS 705 master programming. The data
and
programming updates to gaming machines 703 are authenticated using
conventional
techniques prior to installation on the system components.
[0254] In various embodiments, any of the gaming machines 703 may be a
mechanical
reel spinning slot machine, video slot machine, video poker machine, video
bingo machine,
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keno machine, or a gaming machine offering one or more of the above-described
games
including an interactive wheel feature. Alternately, gaming machines 703 may
provide a
game with an accumulation-style feature game as one of a set of multiple
primary games
selected for play by a random number generator, as described above. A gaming
system of
the type described above also allows a plurality of games in accordance with
the various
embodiments of the invention to be linked under the control of a group game
server (not
shown) for cooperative or competitive play in a particular area, carousel,
casino or between
casinos located in geographically separate areas. For example, one or more
examples of
group games under the control of a group game server are disclosed in U.S.
Application
Serial Number 11/938,079, entitled "Networked System and Method for Group
Gaming,"
filed on November 9, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety for all
purposes.
[0255] Various aspects of the systems, methods, functions, steps, features
and the like
corresponding thereto disclosed herein may be implemented on one or more
computer
systems using hardware, software, firmware, circuits, or combinations thereof
Hardware,
software, firmware, and circuits respectively refer to any hardware, software,
firmware, or
circuit component. Computer systems referred to herein may refer to any
computing device
and vice versa (e.g., smart phone, mobile computing device, personal data
assistant, tablet
computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, gaming machine, other computing
device,
and the like). For example, each computer system or computing device in the
systems
described herein or any embodiment of a system disclosed herein may utilize
one or more
of the following components: a single-core or multi-core hardware processor
(e.g., central
processing unit or graphics processing unit) on which software instructions
are executed
(e.g., instructions corresponding to an operating system, an application
program, an
interpreter such as a virtual machine, or a compiler); a memory associated
with and in
connection with the hardware processor such as cache or other system memory
that stores
software instructions or other data that the hardware processor may access for
processing;
an input device (e.g., mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, and the like); an output
device (e.g.,
display, touchscreen, printer, and the like); a network or communication
interface that
enables the computer system to communicate over a network or communication
protocol;
an application program having corresponding software instructions that are
executable by a
hardware processor. Connections between different computer systems and
connections
between different computer system components may be wired or wireless.
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[0256] Virtualization computing techniques, cloud computing techniques, web
application/website computing techniques, traditional and adaptive streaming
techniques,
and other computing techniques may be implemented by any embodiment of a
system
disclosed herein to enable and/or enhance the teachings described herein. For
example, in a
cloud computing embodiment, one or more servers (i.e., one or more computer
systems)
may store and execute software instructions corresponding to an application
program based
on input data received from client devices. In response to the input data
received, the
application program is executed accordingly, which results in graphical data
being
processed and output to the client devices for display on a display such as a
touch screen on
a smart phone or tablet computer.
[0257] As another example, in a web application or website embodiment, data
representative of a user input may be transmitted to a server (i.e., a
computer system)
hosting the website for processing and storage in memory. In an application
program
embodiment, the application may be stored and executed locally on a user's
computer
system. In other embodiments, one or more components of the application
program may be
stored and executed on a server and the user's computer system. For example, a
user may
download the application program from an app store for an Android computing
device,
Blackberry computing device, Apple computing device, Windows computing device,
Samsung computing device, other computing device, and the like. Execution of
the
application program on the user's computing device may require that the device
transmit
and receive data to and from one or more computing devices such as a server or
other user's
computing device. For example, an application may be downloaded from a server
to a
mobile device. Upon installation, the mobile device may communicate with a
server, such
as a gaming server.
[0258] One or more embodiments of the systems disclosed herein may utilize
streaming
technology. Streaming data enables data to be presented to the user of the
client device
while the client device receives data from the server. Streaming data from
servers to client
devices (e.g., computing devices operated by users) over a network is
typically limited by
the bandwidth of the network, or alternatively, the physical layer net
bitrate. Traditional
streaming protocols, such as RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol), MS-WMSP
(Windows
Media HTTP Streaming Protocol), and RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol) may be
implemented, which essentially send data in small packets from the server to
the client
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device in real-time at the encoded bitrate of the data. Adaptive streaming may
also be
implemented. Adaptive streaming almost exclusively relies on HTTP for the
transport
protocol. Similar to traditional streaming, data is encoded into discrete
packets of a
particular size; however, the source data is encoded at multiple bitrates
rather than a single
bitrate. The data packets corresponding to the same data encoded at different
bitrates are
then indexed based on the bitrate in memory. This streaming method works by
measuring,
in real-time, the available bandwidth and computer capacity of the client
device, and adjusts
which indexed data packet to transfer based on the encoded bitrate.
[0259] One or more aspects of the systems disclosed herein may be located
on (i.e.,
processed, stored, executed, or the like; or include one or more hardware or
software
components) a single computer system or may be distributed among a plurality
of computer
systems attached by one or more communication networks (e.g., internet,
intranet, a
telecommunications network, and the like). One or more components of a
computer system
may be distributed across one or more computer systems in communication with
the
computer system over a communication network. For example, in some
embodiments, the
systems disclosed herein may utilize one or more servers (i.e., one or more
computer
systems dedicated for a particular purpose in the system) that may be
dedicated to serve the
needs of one or more other computer systems or components across a
communication
network and/or system bus. The one or more servers may provide a central
processing
location for one or more aspects of the systems disclosed herein.
[0260] Again, various aspects of the systems, methods, function, and steps
corresponding thereto disclosed herein may be implemented on one or more
computer
systems using hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof Those of
ordinary
skill in the art will appreciate that one or more circuits and/or software may
be used to
implement the system and methods described herein. Circuits refer to any
circuit, whether
integrated or external to a processing unit such as a hardware processor.
Software refers to
code or instructions executable by a computing device using any hardware
component such
as a processor to achieve the desired result. This software may be stored
locally on a
processing unit or stored remotely and accessed over a communication network.
[0261] As disclosed herein, a processor or hardware processor may refer to
any
hardware processor or software processor. A software processor may include or
otherwise
constitute an interpreter that is executed by a hardware processor. A computer
system
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according to any embodiment disclosed herein is configured to perform any of
the described
functions related to the various embodiments of the systems disclosed herein.
[0262] As disclosed herein, any method, function, step, feature, or result
may be
considered a module that may include software instructions that cause, when
executed by a
computing device, the desired method, function, step, feature, or result.
Executed by a
computing device includes execution by any hardware component (e.g., CPU, GPU,
network interface, integrated circuits, other hardware components, and the
like) of the
computing device such as a hardware processor. Any module may be executed by a
computing device (e.g., by a processor of the computing device). Any method,
function,
step, feature, result, and the like disclosed herein may be implemented by one
or more
software modules whether explicitly described or not. Individual components
within a
computing device may work together to accomplish a desired method, function,
step,
feature, or result. For example, a computing device may receive data and
process the data.
A simple example would be that a network interface receives the data and
transmits the data
over a bus to a processor.
[0263] Various aspects of the systems disclosed herein may be implemented
as software
executing in a computer system. The computer system may include a central
processing
unit (i.e., a hardware processor) connected to one or more memory devices, a
graphical
processing unit, input devices such as a mouse and keyboard, output devices
such as
speakers and a display, a network interface to connect to one or more other
computer
systems (e.g., one or more computer systems configured to provide a service
such as
function as a database), an operating system, a compiler, an interpreter
(i.e., a virtual
machine), and the like. The memory may be used to store executable programs
and data
during operation of the computer system. The executable programs may be
written in a
high-level computer programming language, such as Java or C++. Of course,
other
programming languages may be used since this disclosure is not limited to a
specific
programming language or computer system. Further, it is to be appreciated that
the systems
and methods disclosed herein are not limited to being executed on any
particular computer
system or group of computer systems.
[0264] Some methods, functions, steps, or features have been described as
being
executed by corresponding software by a processor. It is understood than any
methods,
functions, steps, features, or anything related to the systems disclosed
herein may be
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implemented by hardware, software (e.g., firmware), or circuits despite
certain methods,
functions, steps, or features having been described herein with reference to
software
corresponding thereto that is executable by a processor to achieve the desired
method,
function, or step. It is understood that software instructions may reside on a
non-transitory
medium such as one or more memories accessible to one or more processors in
the systems
disclosed herein. For example, where a computing device receives data, it is
understood
that the computing device processes that data whether processing the data is
affirmatively
stated or not. Processing the data may include storing the received data,
analysing the
received data, and/or processing the data to achieve the desired result,
function, method, or
step. It is further understood that input data from one computing device or
system may be
considered output data from another computing device or system, and vice
versa. It is yet
further understood that any methods, functions, steps, features, results, or
anything related
to the systems disclosed herein may be represented by data that may be stored
on one or
more memories, processed by one or more computing devices, received by one or
more
computing devices, transmitted by one or more computing devices, and the like.
[0265] The various embodiments and examples described herein are provided
by way of
illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimed invention,
nor the scope of
the various embodiments and examples. Those skilled in the art will readily
recognize
various modifications and changes that may be made to the claimed invention
without
following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described
herein, and
without departing from the true spirit and scope of the claimed invention,
which is set forth
in the following claims. In addition, various embodiments may be combined.
Therefore,
reference to an embodiment, one embodiment, in some embodiments, in other
embodiments, and the like does not preclude one or more methods, functions,
steps,
features, results, hardware implementations, or software implementations of
different
embodiments from being combined. Further, reference to an embodiment, one
embodiment, in some embodiments, in other embodiments, examples, and the like
provides
various aspects that may or may not be combined with those of one or more
different
embodiments and/or examples.
[0266] While the example embodiments have been described with relation to a
gaming
environment, it will be appreciated that the above concepts can also be used
in various non-
gaming environments. For example, such rewards can be used in conjunction with
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purchasing products, e.g., gasoline or groceries, associated with vending
machines, used
with mobile devices or any other form of electronic communications.
Accordingly, the
disclosure should not be limited strictly to gaming casinos, arcades, portal
based game sites,
cellular phone devices, personal digital assistant devices, laptops, personal
computers, home
game consoles, bar top gaming devices, table gaming devices, surface computing
devices,
table gaming biometric touch screen, television gaming, or in-room gaming
devices.
[0267] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various
modifications and changes
that may be made to the claimed invention without following the example
embodiments and
applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the
true spirit and
scope of the claimed invention.
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