Electronic gaming machine with wireless communication capabilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11200775-B2
Application number	US-202016785965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 10, 2020
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to gaming machines, systems, and methods. As an example, a method is disclosed that includes enabling a user to interact with a game of chance via a user interface device of the electronic gaming machine, storing an amount of credit available for the player to play the game of chance in a credit meter, presenting the amount of credit available to the user via the user interface device, providing information from the credit meter to a wireless communication assembly, and transmitting, with the wireless communication assembly, the information from the credit meter to a game management system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic gaming machine, comprising:
a user interface device;
a processor coupled with the user interface device;
a wireless communication assembly;
a computer-readable storage medium coupled with the processor and comprising:
instructions that enable a user to interact with a game of chance via the user interface device;
a credit meter that stores an amount of credit available for the user to play the game of chance;
instructions that present the amount of credit available to the user via the user interface device;
instructions that monitor an elapsed time since the processor last provided information from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly;
instructions that compare the elapsed time with a threshold elapsed time;
instructions that determine the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time during an individual gaming session played by the user; and
instructions that transmit updated information from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly in response to determining that the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time during the individual gaming session played by the user; and
wherein the wireless communication assembly comprises:
a data interface that receives, from the processor, the information and the updated information from the credit meter;
memory that temporarily stores the information and the updated information from the credit meter; and
an antenna that wirelessly transmits the information and the updated information from the credit meter to a distributed game management system.

2. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication assembly further comprises:
a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card that stores a mobile number associated with the wireless communication assembly and a key, wherein the mobile number and the key are used by the wireless communication assembly to enable the distributed game management system to identify and authenticate the electronic gaming machine from among other electronic gaming machines.

3. The electronic gaming machine of claim 2 , wherein the wireless communication assembly communicates with the distributed game management system via a cellular connection and wherein control data is provided from the distributed game management system to the wireless communication assembly via the cellular connection.

4. The electronic gaming machine of claim 3 , wherein the control data comprises game configuration data, wherein the game configuration data is communicated from the wireless communication assembly to the processor via the data interface, and wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises:
instructions that update the game of chance based on the game configuration data received from the wireless communication assembly.

5. The electronic gaming machine of claim 3 , wherein the control data comprises an output of a Random Number Generator (RNG) and wherein the output of the RNG is provided from the distributed game management system to the processor to control an action of the game of chance.

6. The electronic gaming machine of claim 4 , wherein different entities are allowed to update the game of chance by providing the game configuration data to the wireless communication assembly.

7. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:
machine state information that describes a current state of the electronic gaming machine; and
instructions that transmit the machine state information to the wireless communication assembly for further transmission to the distributed game management system.

8. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:
instructions that enable the user to login to the distributed game management system prior to interacting with the game of chance; and
instructions that transmit player profile information to the wireless communication assembly for further transmission to the distributed game management system when the user is logging into the distributed game management system.

9. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises:
instructions that present, via the user interface device, an interaction window that facilitates communications between the user and support personnel located remotely with respect to the electronic gaming machine, wherein communication data exchanged between the user and the support personnel passes through the data interface and the antenna.

10. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the data interface comprises a bi-directional data interface and wherein system updates are received at the antenna from the distributed game management system and then provided to the processor via the bi-directional data interface to enable the processor to update the electronic gaming machine with the system updates.

11. A system, comprising:
a first data interface;
a processor coupled with the first data interface;
a computer-readable storage medium coupled with the processor and comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor, wherein the instructions comprise:
instructions that enable a user to interact with a game of chance;
instructions that collect and store gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance;
instructions that transmit the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance via the first data interface;
instructions that monitor an elapsed time since the processor last provided information from the credit meter to a wireless communication assembly;
instructions that compare the elapsed time with a threshold elapsed time;
instructions that determine the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time; and
instructions that transmit updated information from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly in response to determining that the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time; and
the wireless communication assembly, comprising:
a second data interface that receives the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance transmitted by the first data interface as well as the updated information;
memory that stores the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance as well as the updated information; and
an antenna that wirelessly transmits the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance as well as the updated information to a distributed game management system.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a data transmission medium that couples the first data interface with the second data interface; and
a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card that stores a mobile number associated with the wireless communication assembly and a key, wherein the mobile number and the key are used for identification and authentication with the distributed game management system.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the wireless communication assembly communicates with the distributed game management system via a cellular connection and wherein control data is provided from the distributed game management system to the wireless communication assembly via the cellular connection.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance comprise player profile information, historical game usage information, and information from a credit meter.

Assignees

• Igt Reno Nev

Inventors

• Idris Fayez
• Keilwert Stefan
• Aurich Sven
• Froy Jr David
• Russ Michael
• Small David
• Tang yue hang

Classifications

• G07F17/3211

  Display means · CPC title

• G07F17/3293

  Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack · CPC title

• G07F17/3227

  Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters · CPC title

• G07F17/3241

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

• G07F17/3209 Primary

  Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen · CPC title