Post certification metering for diverse game machines
Bonuses such as progressive bonuses are based on the activity of many players playing at many machines. The machines may be made by different manufacturers and run different games. Prior diverse arrays of such machines relied on a hardware slot machine interface board (SMIB) that acted as a master and transmitted game activity to remote servers. A disclosed embodiment virtualizes the SMIB. In one implementation, protected processes allow for real time meter creation and destruction within different games, even after the game software has been certified and the hash cannot change.
1. A method comprising:
transmitting, in real time over a network, first data from a microprocessor controlled gaming machine, the gaming machine comprising a memory and being configured to run game software that cannot be altered once certified, the first data relating to game activity of a game running on the microprocessor controlled gaming machine to be used by an external system to calculate a progressive bonus award, the microprocessor controlled gaming machine further comprising a virtual slot machine interface board, the virtual slot machine interface board comprising a protected process configured to store real time meters in an isolated compartment of the memory; and
after the game software has been certified and installed on the gaming machine:
receiving, at the microprocessor controlled gaming machine and from the external system, second data, in real time over the network, relating to the progressive bonus award;
receiving, at the microprocessor controlled gaming machine and from the external system, a request over the network to create a first meter to track an item; and
responsive to receiving the request from the external system to create the first meter, creating, at the microprocessor controlled gaming machine, the first meter in the virtual slot machine interface board.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
monitoring the game for the occurrence of a triggering event, and
creating the first meter upon a detection of the triggering event.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first meter is created in non-volatile random access memory space protected by software from being accessed or overwritten.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving information specifying what to track for a player.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising creating at least a second meter to track the specified information.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the player specifies what to track.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the external system specifies what to track.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the external system includes at least one of: a central server and a remote host.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual slot machine interface board is a software emulated version of a hardware slot machine interface board.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the microprocessor controlled gaming machine comprises a master gaming controller including an operating system, and
the protected process includes a separate software execution module that is protected by the operating system and executed in a logic device of the master gaming controller.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the microprocessor controlled gaming machine and from the external system, a request over the network to one of: reset the first meter and destroy the first meter;
responsive to the microprocessor controlled gaming machine receiving the request to reset the first meter, resetting the first meter at the microprocessor controlled gaming machine; and
responsive to the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine receiving the request to destroy the first meter,
destroying the first meter at the microprocessor controlled gaming machine.
12. An apparatus comprising:
a microprocessor controlled gaming machine configured to run game software that cannot be altered once certified, and comprising:
a memory; and
a virtual slot machine interface board, the virtual slot machine interface board comprising a protected process configured to store real time meters in an isolated compartment of the memory, wherein after the game software has been certified and installed on the microprocessor controlled gaming machine and responsive to the microprocessor controlled gaming machine receiving a request from an external entity
to create a first meter to track an item,
the first meter is created in the virtual slot machine interface board.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the virtual slot machine interface board is a software emulated version of a hardware slot machine interface board.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:
the microprocessor controlled gaming machine comprises a master gaming controller including an operating system, and
the protected process comprises a separate software execution module that is protected by the operating system and executed in a logic device of the master gaming controller.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the master gaming controller is configured to execute software processes other than the operating system and the operating system is configure to prevent the other software processes from performing one or more of the following on the protected process: inject a thread into the protected process; access a virtual memory of the protected process; duplicate a handle from the protected process.
16. A system comprising:
a central server configured to transmit, after game software has been certified and installed on a microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine, a request to the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine to create a first meter to track an item; and
the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine configured to run game software that cannot be altered once certified, the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine comprising:
a memory;
a virtual slot machine interface board configured to be downloadable from and updateable by the central server, the virtual slot machine interface board comprising a protected process configured to store real time meters in an isolated compartment of the memory, wherein responsive to receiving the request from the central server to create the first meter,
the first meter is created in the virtual slot machine interface board.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the virtual slot machine interface board is a software emulated version of a hardware slot machine interface board.
18. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine receives, from the central server, a request over the network to one of: reset the first meter and destroy the first meter;
responsive to the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine receiving the request to reset the first meter, the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine resets the first meter; and
responsive to the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine receiving the request to destroy the first meter, the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine destroys the first meter.
19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the microprocessor controlled casino gaming machine receives information specifying what to track for a player.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the player specifies what to track.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the central server specifies what to track.