Method of enabling restoration of games and a method of restoring games

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10453299-B2
Application number	US-97663910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2010
Priority date	Dec 23, 2009
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

There is disclosed a method for enabling restoration of games. The method comprises receiving a request for subsequent restoration of a game at a gaming device, selecting one of a plurality of game state identifiers associated with respective ones of a plurality of game states based on a current game state presented at the gaming device, and issuing the game state identifier. There is also disclosed a method for restoring games. The method comprises receiving a game state identifier, and restoring a game at a gaming device to one of a plurality of game states associated with respective ones of a plurality of game state identifiers based on the game state identifier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for enabling restoration of games, comprising:
receiving, at a first gaming device including a first credit input mechanism configured to receive a credit input from a player, the first credit input mechanism comprising at least one of a coin input chute, a bill collector, a card reader, or a ticket reader, a request for subsequent restoration of a game;
storing, in a game state identifier database, a plurality of game state identifiers, each game state identifier associated with one or more game states of the game;
identifying, by a first game controller of the first gaming device, a current game state of the game presented on a display of the first gaming device;
selecting, by the first game controller, a game state identifier of the plurality of game state identifiers associated with the current game state;
requesting, by the first game controller, a session identifier from a session server through a network, wherein the session identifier is generated based upon a random number and independently of the game state identifier in response to the requesting;
issuing, by the first game controller, at the first gaming device, the game state identifier and the session identifier;
registering, by the first game controller, at least one of the game state identifier and the session identifier with a player account of the player, whereby the player is enabled to restore the game using only the player account if desired by the player;
receiving the game state identifier and the session identifier at a second game controller of a second gaming device, the second gaming device including a second credit input mechanism configured to receive a credit input from the player, the second credit input mechanism comprising at least one of a coin input chute, a bill collector, a card reader, or a ticket reader;
communicating, by the second game controller, the session identifier from the second gaming device to the session server through the network;
receiving, by the second game controller, a communication that the session identifier is valid from the session server through the network;
identifying, by the second game controller, the current game state of the game using the game state identifier; and
restoring, by the second game controller, the game to the current game state on the second gaming device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising mapping each of the one or more game states to a game state identifier of the plurality of game state identifiers.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein issuing the game state identifier comprises printing a ticket including the game state identifier.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein issuing the game state identifier comprises transmitting a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message including the game state identifier to a mobile communication device of the player.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, by the second game controller, a communication that the session identifier is invalid from the session server through the network; and
restoring, by the second game controller and in response to receiving the communication that the session identifier is invalid, the second gaming device to a state of waiting to receive a game state identifier.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the communication that the session identifier is invalid indicates that the session identifier was previously used to restore a game.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
associating, by the session server, the session identifier with an initial count value; and
decrementing, by the session server, the initial count value in response to the restoring the game to the current game state on the second gaming device, whereby the game is capable of being restored from the session identifier a number of times corresponding to the initial count value, and whereby the initial count value is decremented each time the session identifier is used to restore the game until the initial count value is decremented to zero.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising:
receiving, by the second game controller, a decremented count value; and
restoring, by the second game controller and in response to receiving the decremented count value, the game unless the decremented count value is equal to zero.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
receiving, by the first game controller and prior to issuing the the game state identifier and the session identifier, a mobile telephone number from the player; and
transmitting, by the first game controller, a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message including at least one of the game state identifier or the session identifier to a mobile communication device of the player associated with the mobile telephone number.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
associating, by the first game controller, at least one of the game state identifier or the session identifier with at least one of a personal identification number (PIN) or password; and
requesting, by the second game controller, at least one of the PIN or password prior to restoring the game to the current game state on the second gaming device.

11. A game controller for a gaming device, the gaming device including a credit input mechanism configured to receive a credit input from a player of the gaming device, the credit input mechanism comprising at least one of a coin input chute, a bill collector, a card reader, or a ticket reader, the game controller configured to execute instructions stored in a memory, which when executed, cause the game controller to at least:
receive a request for subsequent restoration of a game;
identify a current game state of the game presented on a display of the gaming device;
select a game state identifier from a plurality of game state identifiers, the game state identifier associated with the current game state, the plurality of game state identifiers associated with respective game states and stored in a game state identifier database;
request a session identifier from a session server through a network, wherein the session identifier is generated based upon a random number and independently of the game state identifier in response to the request;
issue the game state identifier and the session identifier; and
register at least one of the game state identifier and the session identifier with a player account of the player, whereby the player is enabled to restore the game using only the player account if desired by the player.

12. The game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the game controller to map each of the respective game states to a game state identifier of the plurality of game state identifiers.

13. The game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the game controller to communicate with a ticket printer for printing a ticket including the game state identifier.

14. The game controller as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the game controller to communicate with an identifier transmitter for transmitting a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message including the game state identifier to a mobile communication device of the player.

15. A gaming system comprising:
a first gaming device comprising:
a first credit input mechanism configured to receive a credit input from a player of the first gaming device, the first credit input mechanism comprising at least one of

Assignees

• Boesen John Leslie
• Chim Chi We
• Aristocrat Technologies Au

Inventors

• Boesen John Leslie
• Chim Chi We

Classifications

• G07F17/3239 Primary

  Tracking of individual players · CPC title

• G07F17/32

  for games, toys, sports, or amusements · CPC title

• G07F17/3255

  Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements · CPC title

• G07F17/3241

  Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance (computer security G06F21/00) · CPC title

• G07F17/3218

  wherein at least part of the system is portable · CPC title