Tiered Progressive Gaming System Server Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current progressive gaming systems face challenges such as uneven player interest due to varying progressive pool sizes across different groups of gaming machines and are vulnerable to communication link interruptions, which can disable the progressive feature, leading to operational costs and player dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A tiered progressive gaming system with multiple servers (local, regional, and system) that allows gaming machines to contribute to and play for different progressive jackpots, with communication links routing funds and jackpot information through a hierarchical structure, enabling continued jackpot generation and awarding even if higher-level server links are broken, and incorporating error correction and accounting verification mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If gaming machines are linked to a single progressive server, then the progressive pool can grow large through accumulated wagers, but the system becomes vulnerable to communication link interruptions that can disable the progressive feature
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the progressive gaming network into multiple independent servers (first progressive server, second progressive server, third progressive server), each managing its own progressive pool. Gaming machines can be associated with multiple servers simultaneously, creating segmented progressve pools that are independent of each other. This segmentation ensures that a communication failure with one server does not affect the others, maintaining system reliability while allowing each pool to grow through accumulated wagers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local progressive pools at each server location with distinct characteristics and growth rates. Each server maintains its own progressive pool that grows based on local wagering activity, allowing different regions or groups of machines to have customized progressive features. This local quality approach enables the system to maintain multiple independent progressive pools that can operate autonomously, improving reliability while preserving the ability to generate large awards locally.
2Quantity of substance
If a single progressive pool is used across all gaming machines, then the award can be very large, but player interest becomes uneven across different machine groups with varying pool sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the single progressive pool into multiple independent pools managed by different servers. Each gaming machine can participate in multiple pools simultaneously, with each pool having its own award structure and growth rate. This segmentation allows different machine groups to have access to pools of appropriate sizes, maintaining player interest across all locations while still offering the opportunity for large awards through participation in multiple pools.
Solution Approach 2:
Gaming machines are designed with multi-functionality to participate in multiple progressive pools simultaneously. A single machine can contribute to and play for progressive pools across different servers, allowing players to access multiple progressive opportunities from one machine. This universality ensures that players at any location can engage with progressive awards of various sizes, maintaining uniform player interest while preserving the potential for large awards.
3Loss of information
If communication links are established between all gaming machines and servers, then progressive jackpot information can be distributed, but the system complexity and cost of maintaining these links increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication architecture is segmented into independent server zones, where each progressive server manages communication with its associated gaming machines. This segmentation reduces the overall system complexity by creating modular communication units that can operate independently. Each server maintains communication links only with its local machines, avoiding the need for a fully interconnected network, thereby reducing complexity while ensuring jackpot information is properly distributed within each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the communication structure, organizing servers and machines in tiers or layers. Instead of a flat fully-connected network, the system uses a multi-dimensional architecture where machines communicate with local servers, and servers can communicate with each other through defined pathways. This dimensional organization simplifies the communication topology while maintaining the ability to distribute jackpot information across the entire system.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system includes at least one progressive server and a plurality of gaming machines configured to present wagering games to players for play. The at least one progressive server is configured to generate a plurality of progressive jackpots funded at least partially from funds transactions at the gaming machines. Each gaming machine is configured to present at least a first game play option permitting a player to play for a first of the progressive jackpots and a second game play option permitting a player to play for a second of the progressive jackpots, the player permitted to select from the game play options to play for the opportunity to win the progressive jackpot associated therewith. In one embodiment, the system has a tiered configuration where progressive servers are “layered” and associated with different groups or sets of gaming machines.