Abstract:
A system for adding funds to a handheld gaming machine. The system includes a portable digital wallet that wirelessly communicates with a handheld gaming machine (“handheld”). The digital wallet stores an amount of funds or funds associated with a remotely stored player account, and is used by the player to add credits to a handheld. The credit meter may be stored remotely, though the player perceives that the funds are actually being transferred via the digital wallet. Other funding techniques include a kiosk that accepts cash or credit/debit cards and dispenses tickets or other media that encodes information representing an amount of funds. The player uses this media to add credits to the handheld. The media may be player-dependent such that the player's identity is somehow linked to the media or it may be player-agnostic such that the player's identity is not linked to the funds associated with the media.
Abstract:
A method is used for editing a data element stored in a static memory device comprising a plurality of storage units. The method includes a step of copying a content of one of the storage units to a dynamic memory device, wherein the content comprises the data element. The method further includes editing the data element while the data element is stored in the dynamic memory. The method also includes erasing said one of the storage units, and writing the content, including the data element that has been edited, into one of the storage units.
Abstract:
Method and system are disclosed for operating wagering game terminals where each terminal contributes an award to an award pool. A bank controller aggregates the awards, reapportions, and randomly assigns them back to the wagering game terminals. The reapportioned award assigned to a given wagering game terminal may be less than, the same as, or greater than the award contributed by that terminal. At regular or irregular intervals, the bank controller may shuffle the reapportioned awards and reassign them. As a result, the volatility of the wagering game terminals increases significantly while the payout percentage of each wagering game terminal remains the same over time. Alternatively, instead of randomly reassigning the reapportioned awards, the players may be allowed to pick the reapportioned awards. The reapportioning may also occur randomly and the assigning on an as-needed basis.
Abstract:
A system for adding funds to a handheld gaming machine. The system includes a portable digital wallet that wirelessly communicates with a handheld gaming machine (“handheld”). The digital wallet stores an amount of funds or funds associated with a remotely stored player account, and is used by the player to add credits to a handheld. The credit meter may be stored remotely, though the player perceives that the funds are actually being transferred via the digital wallet. Other funding techniques include a kiosk that accepts cash or credit/debit cards and dispenses tickets or other media that encodes information representing an amount of funds. The player uses this media to add credits to the handheld. The media may be player-dependent such that the player's identity is somehow linked to the media or it may be player-agnostic such that the player's identity is not linked to the funds associated with the media.
Abstract:
This application describes, among other things, a casino game for use in a gaming establishment wherein at least some of the components of the game include an attached radio frequency-responsive element, such as an RFID tag. In one example, the radio frequency-responsive element contains information regarding the corresponding attached components. In another example, the casino game contains a plurality of selected components having RFID tags. When the tags are interrogated, information provided by the tags can be used to determine whether components of the game have been replaced, are missing, or the like. Also, a method of identifying components in the game is disclosed. In one example, the method includes interrogating radio frequency-responsive elements attached to selected components of the casino game, receiving a response code signal from the interrogated radio frequency-responsive elements, and generating an output based on the received signals.
Abstract:
This description describes methods and apparatuses of a peer-to-peer distributed gaming application networks. In one embodiment a method includes receiving, from a server, an indication that a plurality of gaming terminals will participate in a shared gaming session, wherein the server is not configured to operate as a gaming terminal, and wherein the server is configured to establish a virtual communication network to enable the plurality of gaming terminals to participate in the shared gaming session. The method also includes serving the shared gaming session to the plurality of gaming terminals and determining an outcome of the shared gaming session, wherein the server is not configured to determine an outcome of the shared gaming session.
Abstract:
A gaming machine requests a download from peer gaming machines in a peer to peer gaming machine network. Responses from gaming machines in the peer to peer gaming machine network are evaluated by the requesting gaming machine, and a peer gaming machine is selected as a function of connectivity. The download is then requested from the selected gaming machine. Connection quality is monitored during download and download can be dynamically changed to a different peer should the current download connection become undesirable and/or a better connection discovered.
Abstract:
Method and system are disclosed for operating wagering game terminals where each terminal contributes an award to an award pool. A bank controller aggregates the awards, reapportions, and randomly assigns them back to the wagering game terminals. The reapportioned award assigned to a given wagering game terminal may be less than, the same as, or greater than the award contributed by that terminal. At regular or irregular intervals, the bank controller may shuffle the reapportioned awards and reassign them. As a result, the volatility of the wagering game terminals increases significantly while the payout percentage of each wagering game terminal remains the same over time. Alternatively, instead of randomly reassigning the reapportioned awards, the players may be allowed to pick the reapportioned awards. The reapportioning may also occur randomly and the assigning on an as-needed basis.
Abstract:
An environmental control system is configured to accept network variable outputs from a plurality of sources on a single network variable input and the update values are stored in a data structure for the computation of control variable values. The system includes a sink controller having a network variable input and a plurality of sources, each having at least one network variable output coupled to the network variable input of the sink controller. A data structure is provided so that update values from the sources may be stored in the structure with reference to the sources that provided the update values. Aggregate values, such as a mean average, minimum value, maximum value, standard deviation, variance, sum, or product may be computed from the values stored in the data structure.
Abstract:
The present invention includes a system (FIG. 4) for servicing messages between device controller nodes and control applications via a Lon Network, wherein the device controller nodes includes a plurality of network variables for defining parameters of the Lon Network. The system includes a server for servicing the messages from at least one control application, a proprietary communication value for indicating a network variable value from the control applications, and a Lon value for indicating a network variable value exposed on the Lon Network. There is also a method that includes the steps of reading a message from the control application, verifying whether the message is valid, determining the requested function for a specified network variable from the message when the message is valid, executing the requested function for the specified network variable, and sending subscribed reports in response to a change of value of the network variables independently of the foregoing steps (170).