Transporting and using wagering game data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9324208-B2
Application number	US-201313953344-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2013
Priority date	Jan 19, 2009
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

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

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
storing, via at least one of one or more processors, a copy of wagering game content of a wagering game, wherein the copy of the wagering game content is stored on a portable data storage device while the portable data storage device is connected to a wagering game machine in a casino, wherein the wagering game content comprises one or more of audio or graphical wagering game assets of the wagering game presentable as game play of the wagering game via one or more output devices of the wagering game machine, and wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of wagers on the wagering game; and
disconnecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine, the portable data storage device being configured to transport the copy of the wagering game content for presentation of play on a computing device outside the casino, wherein the computing device is a non-wagering game machine that is authorized to present the wagering game content.

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

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

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

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

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
locking access to the copy of the wagering game content until being unlocked via an authorized mechanism associated with the computing device.

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

8. The method of claim 1 , said operations further comprising:
storing licensing data for the wagering game content on the portable data storage device prior to disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine.

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

10. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
storing a copy of wagering game content of a wagering game as a server-side application on a portable data storage device while the portable data storage device is connected to a wagering game machine in a casino, the wagering game being played at the wagering game machine, wherein the wagering game machine includes a value input device configured to receive monetary value for placement of wagers on the wagering game;
configuring the portable data storage device to serve the wagering game content to a computing device outside the casino without copying game assets of the wagering game content to the computing device; and
disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine, the portable data storage device being configured to transport the copy of the wagering game content to play on the computing device outside the casino.

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

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

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

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

15. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , said operations further comprising:
locking access to the copy of the wagering game content until being unlocked via an authorized mechanism associated with the computing device.

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

17. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 10 , said operations further comprising:
storing licensing data for the wagering game content on the portable data storage device prior to disconnecting the portable data storage device from the wagering game machine.

18. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim

Assignees

• Wms Gaming Inc
• Bally Gaming Inc

Inventors

• Gagner Mark B
• Liber Nevin J
• Pacey Larry J
• Sylla Craig J
• Thomas Alfred

Classifications

• G07F17/32 Primary

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

• G07F17/3202 Primary

  Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof · CPC title

• G07F17/323

  wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions · CPC title