Centralized Gaming Software Update Management System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for updating and managing game software on gaming machines are inconvenient, time-consuming, and costly, especially in large-scale gaming environments, as they often require physical replacement or manual intervention, and managing downloadable content across multiple machines is complex due to the numerous potential configurations.
Innovation Solution
The system provides interfaces and methods for controlling the download of game components such as banner content, software, and firmware to gaming machines, using a network infrastructure that includes administrative servers and workstations to manage and schedule updates, allowing for centralized management and automation of software updates without the need for physical intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire gaming machine is disconnected and replaced with a new machine, then the gaming machine receives new software, but the process requires physical replacement, service personnel, and machine shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the software update process from the physical machine replacement process. Instead of replacing the entire machine, the system extracts and replaces only the necessary software components through digital download and installation, eliminating the need for physical machine replacement while maintaining software update completeness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical system of machine replacement with an automated digital system. The update manager automatically downloads, installs, and configures software updates through network communication, substituting the manual mechanical process of physically replacing machines with an automated electronic distribution system
2Reliability
If media containing software is replaced with new media, then the gaming machine receives new software, but service personnel must locate and replace media physically
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of physically replacing media with an automated digital download system. The update manager automatically retrieves software updates from remote servers through network communication, eliminating the need for service personnel to manually handle and replace physical media
Solution Approach 2:
The gaming machine performs self-updating through the update manager, which automatically downloads, installs, and configures software updates without requiring service personnel intervention. The system autonomously manages the entire update process, including downloading from remote servers and installing updates during idle periods
3Ease of operation
If new software is downloaded from the central server, then the gaming machine receives software updates remotely, but managing downloadable content across multiple machines becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an update manager as an intermediary component that simplifies download management. The update manager acts as a local agent that communicates with remote servers and automatically handles software distribution, installation, and configuration, reducing the complexity of managing updates across multiple machines by centralizing control at the machine level
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the software update management system into distributed update managers on individual gaming machines. Each update manager independently manages its own machine's updates, allowing parallel processing of downloads and installations across multiple machines, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining centralized server support
4Reliability
If service personnel visit each gaming machine site, then software can be updated manually, but the process is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of service personnel visiting machines with an automated electronic distribution system. The update manager automatically downloads updates from remote servers and installs them on the gaming machine, eliminating the need for physical visits and enabling simultaneous updates across multiple machines, thereby dramatically increasing update speed and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining software updates on remote servers in advance. When updates are needed, the update manager can immediately retrieve pre-prepared update packages from the server, eliminating the need for service personnel to prepare and transport physical media, thus accelerating the update process
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods provide interfaces to control the download of downloadable game components to one or more gaming machines or systems. The gaming configuration elements may include banner content, advertising content, denomination data, pay table, language data, video content, audio content, episodic game data, wagering game software, operating system software, device driver software and device firmware.