Central Server Progressive Controller for Gaming Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing progressive gaming systems are limited in adaptability, configurability, and scalability, as they require gaming machines to be physically or wirelessly tied to specific progressive controllers, restricting the number of machines that can participate in progressive awards and limiting players to only those associated with their current gaming device.
Innovation Solution
A central server-based system that acts as a progressive controller, allowing multiple gaming machines to communicate and participate in various progressive awards, enabling players to place side bets on different progressive awards and access multiple progressive pools through a centralized network, thereby eliminating the need for physical rewiring and increasing flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If gaming machines are physically or wirelessly tied to specific progressive controllers, then progressive awards can be maintained and distributed, but the number of machines that can participate is limited and adaptability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The progressive controller is designed to serve multiple gaming machines simultaneously through a networked architecture. The controller can manage progressive awards across numerous machines without requiring dedicated physical connections to each machine, thereby increasing adaptability while reducing the complexity of individual machine connections.
Solution Approach 2:
A network communication interface acts as an intermediary between gaming machines and the progressive controller. This intermediary enables wireless or wired communication, allowing machines to participate in progressive awards without direct physical tying, thus enhancing versatility while simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If gaming machines are tied to specific progressive controllers, then progressive awards can be distributed, but players are limited to only those associated with their current gaming device
Solution Approach 1:
The progressive controller enables players to access and bet on progressive awards from multiple different gaming devices through a single interface. The system maintains universal access to various progressive pools regardless of which specific machine the player is currently using, enhancing player access while keeping the operation simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides players with more progressive award options than traditionally available at a single machine. By allowing players to select from multiple progressive pools across different devices, the system offers excessive (more than needed) options to enhance accessibility without complicating the user experience.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple gaming machines participate in progressive awards through a centralized system, then the number of participating machines increases, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex physical wiring and dedicated hardware connections with a network-based communication system. This substitution allows numerous gaming machines to connect to the progressive controller through standard network interfaces, increasing the number of participating machines while actually reducing the physical complexity of the system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized progressive controller is designed with universal capabilities to manage multiple machines through standardized communication protocols. This multi-functional design enables the single controller to handle progressive award tracking and distribution across many devices without requiring proportional increases in system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The central server includes a plurality of progressive modules. Each progressive module maintains one or more progressive awards and is associated with zero, one or more of the gaming machines in the gaming system. Upon a determination that a designated one of the progressive awards will be provided, one of the gaming machines associated with the progressive module which maintains the designated progressive award provides the designated progressive award to the player of such gaming machine.