Digital identification of unique game characteristics

1. A computer implemented method for authenticating a first gaming application, the first gaming application being adapted for deployment at a first gaming machine, the method comprising:

identifying a first plurality of gaming objects associated with the first gaming application;

generating, using a first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects, a first gaming application signature, the first gaming application signature uniquely representing the first gaming application;

accessing a first certified gaming signature associated with the first gaming application;

authenticating the first gaming application by comparing the first gaming application signature and the first certified gaming signature; and

analyzing, in response to a determination that the first gaming application is not authentic, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects;

combining the object signatures to generate the first gaming application signature; and

analyzing individual object signatures associated with the first portion of gaming objects to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the certified gaming signature includes a plurality of certified gaming objects, the method further comprising:

generating an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects; and

comparing a first certified gaming object to a corresponding object signature of the first portion of gaming objects in order to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a noncompliance condition relating to the authentication of the first gaming application; and

analyzing, in response to detection of the noncompliance condition, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object associated with the noncompliance condition.

5. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the first gaming application is deployed at the first gaming machine; and

wherein the first portion of gaming objects are deployed at the first gaming machine.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising wherein the first portion of gaming objects correspond to gaming objects deployed at the first gaming machine.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one network node of a network, and wherein the first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects are retrieved from the at least one network node via the network.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the network comprises a local area network and the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one of a gaming machine and a gaming application server on the local area network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored on the gaming application server.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored on both of the gaming application server and the gaming machine.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the network comprises a wide area network and the gaming applications objects are stored in at least one of a gaming machine and a gaming application server on the wide area network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored on the gaming application server.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored on both of the gaming application server and the gaming machine.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein the generating of the object signatures comprises at least one of: generating a checksum from a corresponding one of the first plurality of gaming objects, applying a hashing function to a portion of a corresponding one of the first plurality of gaming objects, generating an audio file signature, generating a video file signature, and extracting a digital water mark.

16. The method of claim 2 wherein the combining of the object signatures comprises at least one of: combining the object signatures using at least one logic function, applying a hashing function to the object signatures, generating a checksum from the object signatures.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first gaming application signature comprises an original signature, the method further comprising:

storing the original signature for authentication of subsequently generated signatures corresponding to deployed gaming applications.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the first gaming application signature corresponds to a deployed gaming application, the method further comprising:

comparing the first gaming application signature to a previously stored original signature to authenticate the first gaming application.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

comparing at least one of the object signatures to a corresponding object signature associated with the previously stored original signature where the first gaming application is determined to be not authentic.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects includes one or more objects selected from a group including: a core gaming object, an audio object, a video object, a graphics object, a pay table object, and a non-core gaming object.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion of gaming objects comprises all of the first plurality of gaming objects.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion of gaming objects comprises less than all of the first plurality of gaming objects.

23. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one of a gaming application server and a gaming machine in a network; and

wherein the first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects are retrieved via one of the gaming machine and the first gaming application server.

24. A system for authenticating a first gaming application, the first gaming application being adapted for deployment at a first gaming machine, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one interface configured or designed to provide a communication link to at least one other network device in the data network; and

memory;

the system being configured or designed to:

identify a first plurality of gaming objects associated with the first gaming application;

generate, using a first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects, a first gaming application signature, the first gaming application signature uniquely representing the first gaming application;

access a first certified gaming signature associated with the first gaming application;

authenticate the first gaming application by comparing the first gaming application signature and the first certified gaming signature; and

analyze, in response to a determination that the first gaming application is not authentic, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

25. The system of claim 24 being further configured or designed to:

generate an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects;

combine the object signatures to generate the first gaming application signature; and

analyze individual object signatures associated with the first portion of gaming objects to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the certified gaming signature includes a plurality of certified gaming objects, the system being further configured or designed to:

generate an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects; and

compare a first certified gaming object to a corresponding object signature of the first portion of gaming objects in order to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

27. The system of claim 24 being further configured or designed to:

detect a noncompliance condition relating to the authentication of the first gaming application; and

analyze, in response to detection of the noncompliance condition, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object associated with the noncompliance condition.

28. The system of claim 24 :

wherein the first gaming application is deployed at the first gaming machine; and

wherein the first portion of gaming objects are deployed at the first gaming machine.

29. The system of claim 24 being further configured or designed to wherein the first portion of gaming objects correspond to gaming objects deployed at the first gaming machine.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one network node of a network, and wherein the first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects are retrieved from the at least one network node via the network.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the network comprises a local area network and the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one of a gaming machine and a gaming application server on the local area network.

32. The system of claim 24 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects includes one or more objects selected from a group including: a core gaming object, an audio object, a video object, a graphics object, a pay table object, and a non-core gaming object.

33. A computer implemented computer program product for authenticating a first gaming application, the first gaming application being adapted for deployment at a first gaming machine, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code comprising:

computer code for identifying a first plurality of gaming objects associated with the first gaming application;

computer code for generating, using a first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects, a first gaming application signature, the first gaming application signature uniquely representing the first gaming application;

computer code for accessing a first certified gaming signature associated with the first gaming application;

computer code for authenticating the first gaming application by comparing the first gaming application signature and the first certified gaming signature; and

computer code for analyzing, in response to a determination that the first gaming application is not authentic, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 further comprising:

computer code for generating an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects;

computer code for combining the object signatures to generate the first gaming application signature; and

computer code for analyzing individual object signatures associated with the first portion of gaming objects to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

35. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the certified gaming signature includes a plurality of certified gaming objects, the computer program product further comprising:

computer code for generating an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects; and

computer code for comparing a first certified gaming object to a corresponding object signature of the first portion of gaming objects in order to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

36. The computer program product of claim 33 further comprising:

computer code for detecting a noncompliance condition relating to the authentication of the first gaming application; and

computer code for analyzing, in response to detection of the noncompliance condition, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object associated with the noncompliance condition.

37. The computer program product of claim 33 :

wherein the first gaming application is deployed at the first gaming machine; and

wherein the first portion of gaming objects are deployed at the first gaming machine.

38. The computer program product of claim 33 further comprising wherein the first portion of gaming objects correspond to gaming objects deployed at the first gaming machine.

39. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one network node of a network, and wherein the first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects are retrieved from the at least one network node via the network.

40. The computer program product of claim 39 wherein the network comprises a local area network and the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one of a gaming machine and a gaming application server on the local area network.

41. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects includes one or more objects selected from a group including: a core gaming object, an audio object, a video object, a graphics object, a pay table object, and a non-core gaming object.

42. A portable device for authenticating deployed gaming applications which comprises the computer readable medium of claim 33 .

43. A computer implemented system for authenticating a first gaming application, the first gaming application being adapted for deployment at a first gaming machine, the system comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code comprising:

means for identifying a first plurality of gaming objects associated with the first gaming application;

means for generating, using a first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects, a first gaming application signature, the first gaming application signature uniquely representing the first gaming application;

means for accessing a first certified gaming signature associated with the first gaming application;

means for authenticating the first gaming application by comparing the first gaming application signature and the first certified gaming signature; and

means for analyzing, in response to a determination that the first gaming application is not authentic, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

44. The system of claim 43 further comprising:

means for generating an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects;

means for combining the object signatures to generate the first gaming application signature; and

means for analyzing individual object signatures associated with the first portion of gaming objects to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

45. The system of claim 43 wherein the certified gaming signature includes a plurality of certified gaming objects, the system further comprising:

means for generating an object signature for each of the first portion of gaming objects; and

means for comparing a first certified gaming object to a corresponding object signature of the first portion of gaming objects in order to identify at least one invalid gaming object.

46. The system of claim 43 further comprising:

means for detecting a noncompliance condition relating to the authentication of the first gaming application; and

means for analyzing, in response to detection of the noncompliance condition, the first gaming application signature to identify at least one invalid gaming object associated with the noncompliance condition.

47. The system of claim 43 :

wherein the first gaming application is deployed at the first gaming machine; and

wherein the first portion of gaming objects are deployed at the first gaming machine.

48. The system of claim 43 further comprising wherein the first portion of gaming objects correspond to gaming objects deployed at the first gaming machine.

49. The system of claim 43 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one network node of a network, and wherein the first portion of the first plurality of gaming objects are retrieved from the at least one network node via the network.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the network comprises a local area network and the first plurality of gaming objects are stored in at least one of a gaming machine and a gaming application server on the local area network.

51. The system of claim 43 wherein the first plurality of gaming objects includes one or more objects selected from a group including: a core gaming object, an audio object, a video object, a graphics object, a pay table object, and a non-core gaming object.