Gaming System Game Continuity During Link Failures

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mobile gaming systems face issues such as communication link failures during games, automatic session termination due to inactivity, and limitations in game recommendations and device compatibility, particularly with off-the-shelf tablets and varying gaming machine formats.

Innovation Solution

A method for recommending games using distributed storage, where player data is processed to generate game recommendations based on real-time and historical play data, and a system that allows seamless communication between mobile devices and gaming machines, including features like pause functionality and 3D image adjustment for compatibility with different devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the gaming machine terminates the game when communication link is broken, then system reliability is improved, but player experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidplayer experience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by storing game outcome data and video frames in the gaming machine's memory before the communication link is confirmed broken. This allows the system to later retrieve and display the stored outcome without needing to re-run the game or terminate it, thus maintaining player experience while ensuring system reliability through pre-prepared data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary mechanism - a local storage buffer in the gaming machine that temporarily holds game outcome data and video frames. This intermediary allows the system to decouple the game execution from the communication link status, enabling the game to continue or be recovered even when communication is broken, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and player experience.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the gaming machine automatically terminates session due to inactivity, then device availability is improved, but player convenience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice availabilityVSAvoidplayer convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic session management where the inactivity timeout threshold is not fixed but can be adjusted based on player behavior patterns and game state. The system can extend the inactivity period for players who are actively engaged in multi-round games while maintaining shorter timeouts for idle sessions, thus balancing device availability with player convenience through adaptive, dynamic parameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the system uses customized gaming tablets, then communication reliability is improved, but device compatibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoiddevice compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal communication protocol and data format that works across multiple device types including tablets, smartphones, and desktop computers. By using standardized web technologies (HTML5, JavaScript, WebSocket) and common data structures, the system achieves broad device compatibility while maintaining communication reliability through protocol validation and error handling mechanisms that work consistently across different platforms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Measurement precision

If the system stores extensive player data locally, then recommendation accuracy is improved, but data storage requirements deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecommendation accuracyVSAvoiddata storage requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and stores only the most relevant player data elements locally - specifically game preference categories, play frequency metrics, and recent game selection patterns - while maintaining a more comprehensive data model on the server. This selective extraction allows the local device to generate accurate recommendations using minimal stored data, thus improving recommendation accuracy without proportionally increasing local storage requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9536378B2Systems and methods for recommending games to registered players using distributed storage

Publication Date: 2017.01.03 IGT CANADA SOLUTIONS ULC

AI summary

While a player is playing one game on a gaming machine, the systems and methods described herein recommend other games to the player based on the player's past gaming history, accessed via player registration, and the player's real time game play. Upon the player selecting a different game, the system may automatically transfers the player's credits between games or gaming machines. Each gaming machine may carry out one or more game.