Patent ID: 7351147
Filing Date: 2008-04-01
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
1. A method of enumerating peripheral devices connected to a gaming machine, the method comprising: providing the gaming machine comprising a) a housing, b) one or more gaming peripherals coupled to the housing wherein each gaming peripheral comprises one or more peripheral devices and a peripheral controller, c) a master gaming controller coupled to the housing and operable to communicate with each gaming peripheral, d) an input mechanism coupled to the housing adapted for receiving cash or indicia of credit and e) an output mechanism coupled to the housing for outputting cash or indicia of credit wherein the master gaming controller adapted for controlling the one or more gaming peripherals to present a game of chance to a user of the gaming machine and wherein under control of the master gaming controller the gaming machine is operable i) to receive the cash or indicia of credit for a wager on the game of chance and ii) to output the cash or an indicia of credit as an award for the game of chance resulting from said wager, providing one or more secure communication ports with a higher level of security than one or more other communication ports wherein a first peripheral device is operable to communicate via the one or more secure communication ports with the master gaming controller or via the one or more other communication ports with the master gaming controller and wherein the master gaming controller is configured to require that the first peripheral device only communicate through the one or more secure communication ports; establishing, under control of the master gaming controller, communications between each of the gaming peripherals and the master gaming controller; determining, under control of the master gaming controller, whether one or more peripheral devices on each gaming peripheral is authorized to communicate with the master gaming controller; querying, under control of the master gaming controller, each of the gaming peripherals for peripheral devices; determining, under control of the master gaming controller; an identity of the first peripheral device and a first communication port through which the first peripheral device is attempting to communicate and allowing communications with the first peripheral device when the first communication port is a secure communication port; for each peripheral device, loading a device driver for controlling one or more features of the peripheral device; controlling operation of each peripheral device using the device driver for the peripheral device; storing critical information on the master gaming controller relating to each of a plurality of steps in the game of chance that are displayed during a play of the game of chance wherein the critical information includes information relating to player choices made during the play of the game of chance and wherein in an event of a malfunction during the play of the game of chance the master gaming controller is operable to restore the game of chance to a step in the game of chance that was displayed just prior to the malfunction using the stored critical information, and generating, under control of the master gaming controller, the game of chance on the gaming machine.