Distributed scoring system
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, a distributed bowling center system includes two or more computing devices associated with respective bowling center peripherals. The bowling center peripherals are any electronic or mechanical device in a bowling center capable of detecting a bowling event or receiving input. Example bowling center peripherals include a pinsetter, a monitor, a bumper, a keypad, or a touchscreen. The bowling center peripherals are configured to perform at least one bowler center function. The computing devices are configured to execute at least one process related to a bowler center function of the associated peripheral. Each computing device is located physically closer to the peripheral than the other computer device. The computing devices are in communication via a network. The computing devices are configured to access a process map defining the communication, which is responsive to the at least one bowler center function.
1. A distributed bowling center system comprising:
a plurality of bowling center peripherals, including a first peripheral and a second peripheral, wherein each of the plurality of peripherals are configured to perform at least one bowler center function;
a first computing device configured to execute at least one first process related to the at least one bowler center function, the at least one first process executed to generate bowling information; and
a second computing device configured to execute at least one second process related to the at least one bowler center function, the at least one second process executed using the bowling information received from the first computing device,
wherein the first computing device is further configured to:
access a process map that associates the at least one first process with the second distributed computing device to obtain a network address of the second computing device; and
send the bowling information to the second computing device using the network address obtained from the process map.
2. The distributed bowling center system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first process on the first computing device can communicate with the second computing device without knowledge of the second computing device's location on a network.
3. The distributed bowling center system of claim 1 , wherein the first peripheral is a pinsetter and the second computing device is an overhead computing device.
4. The distributed bowling center system of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device is configured to generate a scoring system package that includes the bowling information and the network address.
5. The distributed bowling center system of claim 4 , wherein the process map is configured to resolve an identification value of the at least one first process to the network address of the second computing device, wherein the network address of the second computing device is internal to a network.
6. The distributed bowling center system of claim 4 , wherein the peripheral type is a pinsetter, a monitor, a bumper, a keypad, or a touchscreen.
7. The distributed bowling center system of claim 1 , wherein the process map is configured to identify each of the plurality of peripherals according to a peripheral type and a lane value.
8. The distributed bowling center system of claim 1 , wherein the process map is configured to identify the first computing device and the second computing device according to a location type and a lane value.
9. The distributed bowling center system of claim 8 , wherein the location type is an overhead location, a bowlers location, a curtain wall location, a back office location, a desk location, or a test location.
10. The distributed bowling center system of claim 1 , wherein the process map is configured to identify the at least one first process according to a process type and a lane value.
11. A distributed computing device for a bowling center comprising:
a communication interface configured to connect the distributed computing device and a bowling center peripheral to a network; and
a controller configured to:
execute a bowling center process associated with the bowling center peripheral and a bowling event, the bowling center process executed to generate bowling information for execution of a second bowling center process with a second distributed computing device; and
access a process map that associates the bowling center process with the second computing device to obtain a network address of the second distributed computing device and provide the network address to the bowling center process in order to define a communication between the distributed computing device and the second distributed computing device; and
send the bowling information to the second distributed computing device using the network address.
12. The distributed computing device of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate a scoring system package that defines the bowling center process as between the distributed computing device and the second distributed computing device.
13. The distributed computing device of claim 11 , wherein the process map is configured to resolve an identification value of the bowling center process to the network address of the second distributed computing device.
14. The distributed computing device of claim 11 , wherein the process map is configured to identify the bowling center peripheral according to a peripheral type and a lane value.
15. The distributed computing device of claim 14 , wherein the peripheral type is a pinsetter, a monitor, a bumper, a keypad, or a touchscreen.
16. The distributed computing device of claim 14 , wherein the location type is an overhead location, a bowlers location, a curtain wall location, a back office location, a desk location, or a test location.
17. The distributed computing device of claim 11 , wherein the process map is configured to identify the distributed computing device according to a location type and a lane value.
18. The distributed computing device of claim 11 , wherein the process map is configured to identify the bowling center process according to a process type and a lane value, wherein the process type is a scoring process, a display process, a pinsetter process, a keypad process, or a bumper process.
19. A method for distributed computing in a bowling center comprising:
executing a bowling center process at a first distributed computing device associated with a bowling center event detected at a peripheral, the bowling center process executed to generate bowling information for execution of a second bowling center process at a second distributed computing device associated with the bowling center event;
accessing a process map configured to associate the bowling center process with the second distributed computing device to obtain a network address of the second distributed computing device; and
sending the bowling information to the second distributed computing device using the network address obtained when accessing the process map.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
generating a scoring system package that defines the bowling center process as between a network address of the first distributed computing device and the network address of the second distributed computing device.
21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:
executing the second bowling center process at the second computing device in response to receipt of the scoring system package.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the process map is configured to identify at least one peripheral according to a peripheral type and a lane value, and the peripheral type is a pinsetter, a monitor, a bumper, a keypad, or a touchscreen.
23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the process map is configured to identify the first distributed computing device and the second distributed computing device according to location types and lane values, and wherein the location types comprise at least two of: an overhead location, a bowlers location, a curtain wall location, a back office location, a desk location, or a test location.