Media Switcher for Wagering Game Machine Protocol Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computerized wagering game machines face challenges in communication and media presentation due to differences in communication protocols and hardware, making it difficult to integrate player tracking and messaging systems across machines from various manufacturers, which is time-consuming and costly to resolve.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a media switcher within the wagering game machine to receive both internal and external media requests, process them, and present media content on various devices, allowing for the integration of external data signals and control data to manage local media content without modifying existing software, thereby simplifying player tracking and messaging systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wagering game machines from different manufacturers are integrated into a unified communication system, then system versatility and adaptability improve, but device complexity and integration difficulty increase due to differing communication protocols and hardware platforms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs intermediary devices such as media players and set-top boxes that act as mediators between the casino messaging system and wagering game machines. These intermediaries handle protocol conversion and communication bridging, allowing machines from different manufacturers to interact without direct integration, thus maintaining system adaptability while managing integration complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system architecture is segmented into distinct functional components: wagering game machines, media players, set-top boxes, and casino messaging systems. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently with its own protocol stack, reducing the complexity of direct integration while maintaining overall system versatility through controlled interfaces
2Ease of operation
If wagering game machines are reconfigured to conform to uniform communication protocols and hardware platforms, then ease of operation and communication improve, but loss of time and manufacturing cost increase due to extensive modifications
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of reconfiguring wagering game machines to conform to uniform protocols, the system inverts the approach by providing protocol conversion capabilities at the receiving end through media players and set-top boxes. This allows machines to maintain their original configurations while achieving uniform communication through the intermediary conversion layer
Solution Approach 2:
The media players and set-top boxes are designed as universal intermediary devices capable of handling multiple communication protocols and formats simultaneously. This multi-functionality allows them to interface with diverse wagering game machines without requiring the machines themselves to be modified, thus maintaining ease of operation while avoiding reconfiguration time and costs
3Adaptability or versatility
If software modifications are implemented to enable cross-manufacturer communication, then system adaptability improves, but manufacturing cost and regulatory resubmission requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the communication protocol conversion functionality from the wagering game machine software and places it in separate media player and set-top box components. This extraction allows the core gaming software to remain unchanged, maintaining manufacturing ease, while the external components provide the necessary adaptability for cross-manufacturer communication
Data Source
AI summary
System, methods and apparatus for presenting media in a wagering game machine are described herein. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving an internal media request from a component of the wagering game machine and receiving an external data signal from outside the wagering game machine. In the embodiment, the method also includes preparing media based on the internal media request and the external data signal and presenting the media on media presentation devices.