Abstract:
A gaming services framework includes web services extensions and comprises a set of services, protocols, XML schemas, and methods for providing gaming system functionality in a distributed, network based architecture. Systems and methods provide a service-oriented framework for gaming and property management based upon internetworking technology and web services concepts. One aspect of the systems and methods includes a loosely coupled architecture that consists of software components that semantically encapsulate discrete functionality (self contained and perform a single function or a related group of functions—the component describes its own inputs and outputs in a way that other software can determine what it does, how to invoke its functionality, and what result to expect). These components may be distributed and programmatically accessible (called by and exchange data with other software) over standard internetworking protocols (TCP/IP, HITP, DNS, DHCP, etc.).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/738,747 filed Nov. 22, 2005 and entitled “A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK ENVIRONMENT WITH WEB EXTENSIONS” (Attorney Docket 1842.225PRV). 
         [0002]    This application is also related to the following United States patent applications, which are assigned to the same assignee as the present application: 
         [0003]    U.S. application Ser. No. 10/788,903 filed Feb. 26, 2004 and entitled “A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”, (Attorney Docket 1842.020US1), which application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/450,452 filed Feb. 26, 2003 and entitled “A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”, (Attorney Docket 1842.020PRV); 
         [0004]    U.S. application Ser. No. 10/788,661 filed Feb. 26, 2004 and entitled “GAMING MANAGEMENT SERVICE IN A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”, (Attorney Docket 1842.021US1); 
         [0005]    U.S. application Ser. No. 10/788,902 filed Feb. 26, 2004 and entitled “GAME UPDATE SERVICE IN A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”, (Attorney Docket 1842.022US1); and 
         [0006]    U.S. application Ser. No. 10/789,957 filed Feb. 26, 2004 and entitled “PROGRESSIVE SERVICE IN A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”, (Attorney Docket 1842.023US1); 
         [0007]    all of the above which are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. 
     
    
     LIMITED COPYRIGHT WAIVER 
       [0008]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material to which the claim of copyright protection is made. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any person of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but reserves all other rights whatsoever. Copyright 2005, 2006, WMS Gaming, Inc. 
       FIELD 
       [0009]    The inventive subject matter relates generally to software and hardware systems for gaming machines, and more particularly to providing a service-oriented gaming network environment on such systems. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0010]    Today&#39;s gaming terminal typically comprises a computerized system controlling a video display or reels that provide wagering games such as video and mechanical slots, video card games (poker, blackjack etc.), video keno, video bingo, video pachinko and other games typical in the gaming industry. In addition, support computing systems such as accounting, player tracking and other “back office” systems exist in order to provide support for a gaming environment. 
         [0011]    In the past, the gaming terminals and back office systems have been developed using proprietary or closed hardware, operating systems, application development systems, and communications systems. Sometimes these systems are provided by a single vendor. 
         [0012]    In order to prevent players from becoming bored, new versions of wagering games, and alterations to existing games are constantly being developed. Additionally, it is desirable to be able to enhance the back office systems with new features such as new accounting capabilities, new tracking capabilities, and new security capabilities. 
         [0013]    Unfortunately, due to the proprietary or closed nature of previous systems, gaming system providers may be dependent on a single vendor to provide needed features and enhancements. If the vendor is unable to provide such features in a timely manner, variety in innovation may be stifled, and a system provider may be unable to compete effectively. In addition, dependence on a single or few vendors may result in increased development costs for new features and enhancements. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0014]    The above-mentioned shortcomings, disadvantages and problems are addressed by the inventive subject matter, which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification. 
         [0015]    One aspect of the systems and methods relates to a Gaming Services Framework using the World Wide Web and internetworking technology. The World Wide Web (“Web” from here on) is a networked information system comprising agents (clients, servers, and other programs) that exchange information. The Web and networking architecture is the set of rules that agents in the system follow, resulting in a shared information space that scales well and behaves predictably. The framework may be used on other networking technology, such as intranet technology or proprietary networking technology. 
         [0016]    The Gaming Services Framework comprises a set of services, protocols, XML schemas, and methods for providing secure gaming system functionality in a distributed, network based architecture. It is intended to be a service-oriented framework for gaming and property management based upon internetworking technology and web services concepts. Specifically, it supports a loosely coupled architecture that consists of software components that semantically encapsulate discrete functionality (self contained and perform a single function or a related group of functions—the component describes its own inputs and outputs in a way that other software can determine what it does, how to invoke its functionality, and what result to expect). These components are distributed and programmatically accessible (called by and exchange data with other software) over standard internetworking protocols (TCP/IP, HITP, DNS, DHCP, etc.). Web service extensions are also included in some embodiments. 
         [0017]    The inventive subject matter describes systems, methods, and computer-readable media of varying scope. In addition to the aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter described in this summary, further aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by reading the detailed description that follows. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a gaming machine according to the inventive subject matter. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is an example embodiment of a service-oriented network for distributed management in a gaming environment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is an example embodiment of a general description of service-oriented discovery and interaction. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is an example embodiment of a representation of the Gaming Services Protocol Stack. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example embodiment of the implementation of web service extensions. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  illustrates one example embodiment of a method for using web service extensions according to the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0025]    Some portions of the detailed descriptions which follow are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the ways used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussions, terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. 
         [0026]    In the Figures, the same reference number is used throughout to refer to an identical component which appears in multiple Figures. Signals and connections may be referred to by the same reference number or label, and the actual meaning will be clear from its use in the context of the description. 
         [0027]    The description of the various embodiments is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible instance of the inventive subject matter. Numerous alternatives could be implemented, using combinations of current or future technologies, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. The present inventive subject matter is directed to a service-oriented framework for gaming networks that allows for the interoperability of the software components (regardless of manufacturer, operating system, or application) reducing the dependence on a closed-system, single vendor solutions and allowing for variety in innovation and competition. 
         [0028]    The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the inventive subject matter is defined only by the appended claims. 
       Operating Environment 
       [0029]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary gaming machine  10  in which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. In some embodiments, gaming machine  10  is operable to conduct a wagering game. These wagering games may include reel based games such as video or mechanical slot machine games, card based games such as video poker, video dice games (e.g. a Yahtzee® like dice game) or other types of wagering games typical in the gaming industry. If based in video, the gaming machine  10  includes a video display  12  such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma, or other type of video display known in the art. A touch screen preferably overlies the display  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the gaming machine  10  is an “upright” version in which the display  12  is oriented vertically relative to a player. Alternatively, the gaming machine may be a “slant-top” version in which the display  12  is slanted at about a thirty-degree angle toward the player. Further, the gaming machine may be a “bar-top” version in which the display is mounted horizontally in a bar top or table top. Still further, the gaming machine may be housed in a wall mounted or other vertically mounted cabinet. In yet further embodiments, the gaming machine may be housed in a portable or handheld device. In such devices, the user interface elements (buttons, screen etc.) may be scaled down or eliminated in order to fit the elements into an appropriate housing for a handheld or portable gaming machine. 
         [0030]    The gaming machine  10  includes a plurality of possible credit receiving mechanisms  14  for receiving credits to be used for placing wagers in the game. The credit receiving mechanisms  14  may, for example, include a coin acceptor, a bill acceptor, a ticket reader, and a card reader. The bill acceptor and the ticket reader may be combined into a single unit. The card reader may, for example, accept magnetic cards and smart (chip) cards coded with money or designating an account containing money. 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, the gaming machine  10  includes a user interface comprising a plurality of push-buttons  16 , the above-noted touch screen, and other possible devices. The plurality of push-buttons  16  may, for example, include one or more “bet” buttons for wagering, a “play” button for commencing play, a “collect” button for cashing out, a help” button for viewing a help screen, a “pay table” button for viewing the pay table(s), and a “call attendant” button for calling an attendant. Additional game specific buttons may be provided to facilitate play of the specific game executed on the machine. The touch screen may define touch keys for implementing many of the same functions as the push-buttons. Additionally, in the case of video poker, the touch screen may implement a card identification function to indicate which cards a player desires to keep for the next round. Other possible user interface devices include a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or trackball. 
         [0032]    A processor controls operation of the gaming machine  10 . In response to receiving a wager and a command to initiate play, the processor randomly selects a game outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes and causes the display  12  to depict indicia representative of the selected game outcome. In the case of slots for example mechanical or simulated slot reels are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with one or more pay lines. If the selected outcome is one of the winning outcomes defined by a pay table, the processor awards the player with a number of credits associated with the winning outcome. 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a Gaming Service Network  210  comprising a customer data center  218  and a customer property  216 . The data center  218  and customer property  216  are connected via a network  220 . In some embodiments, network  220  is a public network such as the Internet. However, in alternative embodiments, private networks, including corporate intranets or extranets may be used to connect a data center  218  with one or more properties  216 . 
         [0034]    In some embodiments, the Customer Corporate Data Center  218  contains the bulk of the network servers supporting gaming properties owned by the corporation. Major elements of the gaming service network include Auth server  232 , Gaming Management Server  236 , and Progressive Server  238 . In some embodiments, Auth Server  32  provides authentication, authorization and content integrity for client devices attempting to interact with other servers and services in the architecture. 
         [0035]    In some embodiments, the Gaming Management Server  36  includes the following services: Boot Service, Name Service, Time Service, Game Management Service, Game Update Service, Event Management Service, Accounting Service, and Discovery Service. 
         [0036]    In some embodiments, the Progressive Server  38  hosts a value-add service that allows a gaming device to participate within a progressive gaming offering. Any value-add service can be added or substituted for this server/service. A progressive game offering is provided as an example. Other value-add services can be distributed on existing servers or reside on a newly added server. 
         [0037]    The Customer Property  16  contains gaming machines  10 , which in some embodiments allow remote updates and configuration through a network interface on the gaming machine. In some embodiments, a Boot Server  234  contains a DHCP service that facilitates the distribution of IP addressing to the gaming machines  10 . It should be noted that any device capable of supporting a wagering game could be substituted for gaming machine  10 . For example, a personal or laptop computer executing a wagering game may participate in the gaming network using the services described below. 
         [0038]    The various servers and gaming machines typically include one or more computer-readable media, such as RAM, ROM, floppy disks, hard disks, flash memory, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM and other such devices to store service related and other information. 
         [0039]    As noted above, various services may be located throughout the Gaming Service network. In some embodiments of the invention, a set of core operational services may include one or more of the following services: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Boot Service 
                 Provides dynamic IP addressing to devices upon 
               
               
                   
                 boot (start-up). Typically supported by Dynamic 
               
               
                   
                 Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). 
               
               
                 Discovery 
                 Provides the address information of the server 
               
               
                 Service 
                 containing the service when prompted by the 
               
               
                   
                 requestor as well as the service description, binding 
               
               
                   
                 and location on the server. 
               
               
                 Authentication 
                 Contains the master Authentication Database. 
               
               
                 Service 
                 Authenticates the service user before allowing the 
               
               
                   
                 use of services in the Gaming Services Framework. 
               
               
                 Authorization 
                 Contains the master Authorization Database. 
               
               
                 Service 
                 Authorizes the use of services in the Gaming 
               
               
                   
                 Services Framework by a service requestor. 
               
               
                 Gaming 
                 Provides the ability to configure and monitor 
               
               
                 Management 
                 gaming devices and other services from a central 
               
               
                 Service 
                 location. Further details on gaming management 
               
               
                   
                 services may be found in U.S. patent 
               
               
                   
                 application Ser. No. 10/788,661 entitled 
               
               
                   
                 “GAMING MANAGEMENT SERVICE IN A 
               
               
                   
                 SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING NETWORK 
               
               
                   
                 ENVIRONMENT” which has been incorporated by 
               
               
                   
                 reference above. 
               
               
                 Name Service 
                 Provides name resolution service to enable devices 
               
               
                   
                 in a gaming network to refer to each other by name 
               
               
                   
                 instead of IP Address. In some embodiments the 
               
               
                   
                 name service is implemented using the Domain 
               
               
                   
                 Naming System (DNS) protocol. 
               
               
                 Time Service 
                 Provides global synchronization of time in the 
               
               
                   
                 gaming network. This may be implemented by 
               
               
                   
                 running the Network Time Protocol (NTP) client 
               
               
                   
                 software on gaming devices. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0040]    In addition to or instead of the core services described above, some embodiments of the invention include one or more of the following services referred to as Basic Gaming Services: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Accounting Service 
                 Provides logging of transaction records for billing 
               
               
                   
                 and general tracking purposes. 
               
               
                 Event Management 
                 Logs events occurring at client and server devices. 
               
               
                 Service 
               
               
                 Game Software 
                 Provides dynamic distribution of new or updated 
               
               
                 Update Service 
                 game content to gaming devices. Further details 
               
               
                   
                 on a game software update service may be found 
               
               
                   
                 in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 
               
               
                   
                 10/788,902 entitled “GAME UPDATE SERVICE 
               
               
                   
                 IN A SERVICE-ORIENTED GAMING 
               
               
                   
                 NETWORK ENVIRONMENT” which has been 
               
               
                   
                 incorporated by reference above. 
               
               
                 Message Director 
                 This service uses a software-configurable message 
               
               
                 Service 
                 routing application to facilitate the reliable 
               
               
                   
                 exchange of data messages among multiple 
               
               
                   
                 application processes within one or more gaming 
               
               
                   
                 systems. 
               
               
                 Content Integrity 
                 This service provides the ability to verify the 
               
               
                 Service 
                 integrity of software components running in the 
               
               
                   
                 gaming network. This includes the verification of 
               
               
                   
                 software versions running on gaming devices, 
               
               
                   
                 peripherals, services as well the detection of 
               
               
                   
                 tampering or modification of the software. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0041]    As noted above, a gaming service network may include Value Add Services. These services include participation services and player services. Examples of participation services that may be included in various embodiments of the invention include the following: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Progressive Service 
                 Provides functionality for a gaming 
               
               
                   
                 device to participate within a single 
               
               
                   
                 progressive or multiple progressives. 
               
               
                   
                 Further details on a progressive service 
               
               
                   
                 may be found in U.S. patent 
               
               
                   
                 application Ser. No. 10/789,957 
               
               
                   
                 entitled “PROGRESSIVE SERVICE 
               
               
                   
                 IN A SERVICE-ORIENTED 
               
               
                   
                 GAMING NETWORK 
               
               
                   
                 ENVIRONMENT” which has been 
               
               
                   
                 incorporated by reference above. 
               
               
                 Wide Area Disruption 
                 This service takes over the processing 
               
               
                 Progressive Service 
                 of wide area progressives at each 
               
               
                   
                 gaming site in the event that there is no 
               
               
                   
                 connection with a central system or the 
               
               
                   
                 connection with the central system is 
               
               
                   
                 temporarily disabled. 
               
               
                 Mobile Gaming Device GPS 
                 This service processes the GPS 
               
               
                 Service 
                 location of gaming devices compared 
               
               
                   
                 with coordinates of a gaming 
               
               
                   
                 jurisdiction. Example: players can ride 
               
               
                   
                 a bus and begin gambling on the bus 
               
               
                   
                 when the bus crosses into the gaming 
               
               
                   
                 jurisdiction. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0042]    Examples of Player Services that may be included in various embodiments of the invention include: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Player Tracking 
                 This service provides the operator and player with 
               
               
                 Service 
                 standard player tracking applications such as 
               
               
                   
                 monitoring card in/card out transactions to track 
               
               
                   
                 play and award player points for play, providing 
               
               
                   
                 targeted promotional compensation to specific 
               
               
                   
                 players, publishing account status to the player or 
               
               
                   
                 operator, providing temporary gaming machine 
               
               
                   
                 locking in order to hold the machine for the player 
               
               
                   
                 for short periods of time, and providing operators 
               
               
                   
                 and players an interface and capability for 
               
               
                   
                 Responsible Gaming Initiatives. 
               
               
                 Game Theme 
                 This service provides location information to 
               
               
                 Location Service 
                 clients regarding specific games, game themes or 
               
               
                   
                 vendor brands. The service may publish the 
               
               
                   
                 information by casino, by area, by city, by state, by 
               
               
                   
                 region, by country, or by continent depending on 
               
               
                   
                 the input parameters provided. An example would 
               
               
                   
                 be to publish where all of the progressive games of 
               
               
                   
                 a particular theme (e.g., “Monopoly Money) are 
               
               
                   
                 located in a particular hotel (e.g., the Reno Hilton) 
               
               
                   
                 in Reno, Nevada. 
               
               
                 Personalization 
                 This service provides the gaming player with a 
               
               
                 Service 
                 more personalized gaming environment. Example: 
               
               
                   
                 the player could choose to see text in Chinese, 
               
               
                   
                 could choose to be reminded of dinner reservation 
               
               
                   
                 time, could customize machine graphics, or could 
               
               
                   
                 have a portion of his coin in go to his football 
               
               
                   
                 club&#39;s progressive. 
               
               
                 Cashless 
                 This service provides the ability for a player to 
               
               
                 Transaction Service 
                 transfer funds between financial institutions, in- 
               
               
                   
                 house accounts and gaming machines. 
               
               
                 Bonusing Service 
                 This service provides the ability for casinos to set 
               
               
                   
                 up bonus games for a specific gaming machine, 
               
               
                   
                 carousel of machines or one or more game themes. 
               
               
                 Game Service 
                 This service is a server-side process that provides 
               
               
                   
                 the outcome of game play. This service may be 
               
               
                   
                 used to enable Internet/online gaming. 
               
               
                 Advertising Service 
                 This service allows the operator to display 
               
               
                   
                 advertising information to players in multimedia 
               
               
                   
                 format as well as simple audio and graphic 
               
               
                   
                 formats. 
               
               
                 Property Service 
                 This is a group of services that provides the ability 
               
               
                   
                 for the property management company to integrate 
               
               
                   
                 with gaming systems. It can provide interaction 
               
               
                   
                 with functions such as hotel and restaurant 
               
               
                   
                 reservations. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0043]    It should be noted that with the distributed architecture of the Gaming Service Network  210 , the above-described services that reside on network servers are not limited to location and can reside anywhere the network supports. For example, it is desirable to consider security and network latency when locating services. 
         [0044]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a Gaming Services Framework  300  according to various embodiments of the invention. In some embodiments, the Gaming Services Framework  300  includes a set of protocols, XML schemas, and methods for providing gaming system functionality in a distributed, network-based architecture such as the network described above in  FIG. 2 . In order to participate in such network-based architectures, the participating devices are interconnected via public or private networks that may be wired or wireless networks. Further, devices performing service/communication support a common services protocol stack such as the Gaming Services Protocol Stack that is further described below. 
         [0045]    The Gaming Services Framework  300  provides for the interaction of several logical elements as depicted in  FIG. 3 . Logical elements represent the fundamental entities that interact to implement a service. In some embodiments, these logical elements include Service Requestor  302 , Service Provider  304 , and Discovery Agency  306 . In general terms, the roles these elements play are as defined in Web Services Architecture—W3C Working (Draft 14 Nov. 2002 and later versions). Further details on these elements are provided below. 
         [0046]    Logical elements may reside in a number of different physical devices as part of delivering any service. For example, a Service Provider  304  will typically reside in a slot accounting or player tracking system and the Service Requestor  302  will typically reside in a gaming machine. However, there may be scenarios where it would be advantageous or appropriate for the logical elements to reside in other physical devices. For example, in alternative embodiments a Service Requestor  302  may reside in a slot accounting system. 
         [0047]    Service Provider  304  comprises a platform that provides hosts access to a service  314 . A service provider may also be referred to as a service execution environment or a service container. Its role in the client-server message exchange patterns is that of a server. 
         [0048]    Service Requestor  302  comprises an application that is looking for and invoking or initiating an interaction with a service such as that provided by service provider  304 . Its role in the client-server message exchange patterns is that of a client  312 . 
         [0049]    Discovery Agency  306  comprises a searchable set of service descriptions where service providers  304  publish their service description(s)  324  and service location(s)  326 . The service discovery agency  306  can be centralized or distributed. A discovery agency  306  can support both patterns where service descriptions  322  are sent to discovery agency  306  and patterns where the discovery agency  306  actively inspects public service providers  304  for service descriptions  322 . Service requestors  302  may find services and obtain binding information (in the service descriptions  324 ) during development for static binding, or during execution for dynamic binding. In some embodiments, for example in statically bound service requesters, the service discovery agent may be an optional role in the framework architecture, as a service provider  304  can send the service description  322  directly to service requester  302 . Likewise, service requesters  302  can obtain a service description  324  from other sources besides a discovery agency  306 , such as a local file system, FTP site, URL, or WSDL document. 
         [0050]      FIG. 4  provides a block diagram of a Gaming Services Protocol Stack  400  according to embodiments of the invention. In some embodiments, the protocol stack includes core layers that define basic services communication and transport, and are typically implemented uniformly. Higher layers that define strategic aspects of gaming processes are also described below.  FIG. 4  illustrates both the widely implemented core layers and in addition illustrates the higher gaming services oriented layers of the protocol stack. 
       Core Layers of the Gaming Services Protocol Stack  400   
       [0051]    In some embodiments, the gaming services framework uses common Internet protocols, which may include web services protocols. Although not specifically tied to any transport protocol, it is desirable to build the gaming services on ubiquitous Internet connectivity and infrastructure to ensure nearly universal reach and support. In some embodiments, gaming services will take advantage of Ethernet  405  or  406 , Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)  408 , Internet Protocol (IP)  407 , User Datagram Protocol (UDP)  409 , HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)  410 , HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure/Secure Socket Layer (HTTPS/SSL)  411 , Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)  412 , Domain Naming System (DNS)  413 , and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)  414  layers in the protocol stack  400 . Those of skill in the art will appreciate that other protocol layers performing equivalent functionality may be substituted for those described above and are within the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0052]    In some embodiments, service request and response data are formatted using Extensible Markup Language (XML)  415 . XML  415  is a widely accepted format for exchanging data and its corresponding semantics. XML is a fundamental building block used in layers above the Common Internet Protocols. In some embodiments, the Gaming Services Protocol Stack  400  incorporates this protocol in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) XML Working Group s XML specification. However, those of skill in the art will appreciate that other data exchange formats may be substituted for XML  415 , and such formats are within the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0053]    In some embodiments of the invention, the gaming service protocol stack  400  utilizes the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)  416 . SOAP  416  is a protocol for messaging and RPC (Remote Procedure Call) style communication between applications. SOAP is based on XML  415  and uses common Internet transport protocols like HTTP 410 to carry data. SOAP  416  may be used to define a model to envelope request and response messages encoded in XML  415 . SOAP  416  messaging can be used to exchange any kind of XML  415  information. SOAP  416  is used in some embodiments as the basic standard for carrying service requests/responses between service users and providers. SOAP  416  has been submitted to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards body as recommendation documents (versions 1.1 and 1.2) and will likely emerge as “XML Protocol (XP).” 
       Higher Layers of the Gaming Services Protocol Stack  400   
       [0054]    In some embodiments, the gaming services protocol stack includes a Web Services Description Language (WSDL)  417  and a Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDD)  418 . WSDL  417  comprises a description of how to connect to a particular service. In some embodiments, WSDL  417  is based on XML. A WSDL  417  description abstracts a particular service&#39;s various connection and messaging protocols into a high-level bundle and forms an element of the UDDI  418  directory&#39;s information. WSDL  417  is similar to CORBA or COM IDL in that WSDL  417  describes programmatic interfaces. WSDL  417  is typically independent of the underlying service implementation language or component model, and focuses on an abstract description. The Gaming Services Protocol Stack  400  incorporates this description in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Services Description Language (WSDL) 1.1-W3C Note 15 Mar. 2001 and later versions. 
         [0055]    In some embodiments, UDDI  418  represents a set of protocols and a public directory for the registration and real-time lookup of services. UDDI  418  enables an entity such as a company to publish a description of available services to the registry, thereby announcing itself as a service provider. Service users can send requests conforming to the UDDI  418  schema as SOAP  416  messages to the service registry to discover a provider for services. Some embodiments of the inventive subject matter may utilize UDDI Version 3, released in July of 2002 and later versions. Further development of UDDI  418  is managed under the auspices of the OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) UDDI Specifications technical committee. 
         [0056]    Referring further to  FIG. 4 , in one alternative embodiment, web services extensions  420  may also be supported by and used in the gaming services framework. Web services extensions compose together to provide, for example but not by way of limitation, interoperable protocols for Security, Reliable Messaging and Transactions in loosely coupled systems. The web service extensions  420  build on top of the core XML and SOAP standards. These technologies may or may not be industry agreed upon protocols that provide web services with more functionality, or alternatively may be supplemented with proprietary protocols to provide web services. Further, these web service extensions are based on the SOAP communications protocol as web services are. Thus, in one example embodiment, when a web service with more functionality than what the base SOAP protocol provides is needed, these SOAP extensions can be added into the existing web service SOAP envelope. In addition, SOAP can be used as a protocol in any messaging application, and doesn&#39;t have to be a web service. 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is illustrated one example embodiment  500  of an implementation of web service extensions  420 . In this embodiment, the web service extensions fit within a SOAP envelope  502 . The SOAP envelope  502  may include a SOAP envelope  504 , and within the envelope  504  there may be a SOAP header  506  and the SOAP body  508 . Each web service extension is provided as a new SOAP binding. Some of these bindings may go in the header  506  and some may go in the body  508 . For example, the web services extension known as “WS-Security” goes in the SOAP header  506  of the SOAP envelope  504 . The web services extension known as “WS-Reliable Messaging” is similar to the WS-Security binding in that it goes in the header  506  as well. On the other hand, the web services extension known as “WS-Eventing” binding goes in the SOAP body  508  of the SOAP envelope  504 . 
         [0058]    According to one example embodiment, web service extensions  420 , often referred to as “WS-*” specifications, may include or be selected from any industry standard extensions or from extensions published or promulgated by public or private enterprises. According to one example embodiment, some of the web services extensions may be selected from the Windows Communication Foundation. According to another example embodiment, such web service extensions may be defined and promulgated by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), which is a global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business and web service standards, or the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Other web services extensions may be provided by private (or public) enterprises, such as IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Hewlett Packard Corporation, Verisign, Inc., and many others. Such specifications may include messaging, including Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism (MTOM), security, reliable messaging, transaction, metadata, XML, management, business process specification and profiles specifications. Further information on web services extensions are currently published on the World Wide Web by the CBDI Forum, under the name CDBI Web Services Roadmap. 
         [0059]    According to one example embodiment, the WS-Security and WS-Reliable Messaging web service extensions may be used as follows in a gaming system to accomplish a gaming system objective. A gaming machine  10 , or any other client device in a gaming system, may need to pass a message to a web service while ensuring the following two things:
       1) The message is secure; and   2) The message is guaranteed to be delivered to the web service regardless of software component, system, or network failures.       
 
         [0062]    The client application (such as client  312 ) creates a SOAP envelope  504  with a SOAP header  506  utilizing WS-Security and WS-Reliable Messaging web service extensions  420 . Next, the client application adds the SOAP body  508  to the SOAP envelope  504 . The SOAP body  508  contains the contents of the message the client needs to send to the web service. Upon receiving the SOAP envelope  504 , the web service analyzes the security section of the SOAP header  506  and verifies that the message passes a security check. The web service then analyzes the Reliable Messaging section of the SOAP header  506  and creates a reply SOAP message to send back to the client which indicates that the messages was received. If the client does not receive this reply from the web service within a preset time frame, the client will resend the original message. After the web service has processed the SOAP header  506 , it can then process the message contained within the body of the SOAP envelope  502  that was sent by the client. 
         [0063]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a generalized method  600  according to one example embodiment of using web service extensions in a gaming system framework is illustrated. A client in a first computer or device in a gaming system formulates a web service request  610  using a web service extension. The request relates to the operation of a gaming machine or system. The request using the web service extension  420  is sent 620 to a web service  620 , and the web service analyzes or performs  630  the request pursuant to the requirements of the web service extension, and acts upon it as necessary. 
         [0064]    Returning to  FIG. 3 , the service requestors and service providers use any of the above-described protocol stacks to perform service interactions with one another. The service interactions include publish  330 , discover (find)  332 , and interact  334 . 
         [0065]    Publish interaction  330  provides a mechanism for a service to be made accessible by other entities in the gaming network environment. In order to be accessible, a service needs to publish its description such that the requestor can subsequently find it. Where it is published can vary depending upon the requirements of the application. A service description  322  can be published using a variety of mechanisms known in the art. The various mechanisms used by the varying embodiments of the invention provide different capabilities depending on how dynamic the application using the service is intended to be. The service description may be published to multiple service registries using several different mechanisms. The simplest case is a direct publish. A direct publish means the service provider sends the service description directly to the service requestor. In this case the service requester may maintain a local copy of the service description  322 . 
         [0066]    Another means of publishing service descriptions utilized in alternative embodiments of the invention is through a UDDI registry. There are several types of UDDI registries known in the art that may be used depending on the scope of the domain of Web services published to it. When publishing a Web service description to a UDDI registry, it is desirable to consider the business context and taxonomies in order for the service to be found by its potential service consumers. Examples of UDDI registries used in the gaming service architecture of various embodiments of the invention are Internal Enterprise Application UDDI registry, Portal UDDI registry, and Partner Catalog UDDI registry. 
         [0067]    An Internal Enterprise Application UDDI registry may be used in some embodiments for gaming services intended for use within an organization for internal enterprise applications integration. For example, all services that provide gaming and gaming management to devices within a casino or casino organization may be published to an Internal Enterprise Application UDDI registry. 
         [0068]    A Portal UDDI registry may be used in some embodiments for gaming services that are published by a company for external partners to find and use. A portal UDDI registry typically runs in the service provider&#39;s environment outside of a firewall or in a DMZ (de-militarized zone) between firewalls. This kind of private UDDI registry generally contains only those service descriptions that a company wishes to provide to service requestors from external partners through a network. For example, these services may be used to provide online gaming to customers connecting through the World-Wide Web. 
         [0069]    A Partner Catalog UDDI registry may be used in some embodiments for gaming services to be used by a particular company. The Partner Catalog UDDI registry can be thought of as a rolodex like UDDI registry. A Partner Catalog UDDI registry is typically located on a computer or gaming device behind a firewall. This kind of private UDDI registry typically contains approved, tested, and valid service descriptions from legitimate (e.g. authorized) business partners. The business context and metadata for these services can be targeted to the specific requester. In some embodiments, this type of registry may be used for inter-casino services as well as interactions between casinos and other types of organizations such as regulators and financial institutions. It is desirable that an appropriate authorization and qualification procedure be in place to insure that only approved services are published to service repositories. 
         [0070]    In the discover interactions  332  (also referred to as find interactions), the service requestor retrieves a service description directly or queries the registry for the type of service required. It then processes the description in order to be able to bind and invoke it. 
         [0071]    As with publishing service descriptions, acquiring service descriptions may vary depending on how the service description is published and how dynamic the service application is meant to be. In some embodiments, service requesters may find Web services during two different phases of an application lifecycle—design time and run time. At design time, service requestors search for web service descriptions by the type of interface they support. At run time, service requestors search for a web service based on how they communicate or qualities of service advertised. 
         [0072]    With the direct publish approach noted above, the service requestor may cache the service description at design time for use at runtime. The service description may be statically represented in the program logic, stored in a file, or in a simple, local service description repository. 
         [0073]    Service requesters can retrieve a service description at design time or runtime from a Web page (URL), a service description repository, a simple service registry or a UDDI registry. The look-up mechanism typically supports a query mechanism that provides a find by type of interface capability (for example, based on a WSDL template), the binding information (i.e. protocols), properties (such as QOS parameters), the types of intermediaries required, the taxonomy of the service, business information, etc. 
         [0074]    The various types of UDDI registries, including those described above, have implications on the number of runtime binding services can choose from, policy for choosing one among many, or the amount of pre screening that will be done by the requestor before invoking the service. Service selection can be based on binding support, historical performance, quality of service classification, proximity, or load balancing. It is desirable that an appropriate authorization and qualification procedure be in place to insure that only approved services are published to service repositories. 
         [0075]    Once a service description is acquired, the service requestor will need to process it in order to invoke the service. In some embodiments, the service requestor uses the service description to generate SOAP requests or programming language specific proxies to the service. The generation of such requests can be done at design time or at runtime to format an invocation to the service. Various tools can be used at design time or runtime to generate programming language bindings from interface descriptions, such as WSDL documents. These bindings present an API (Application Program Interface) to the application program and encapsulate the details of the messaging from the application. 
         [0076]    After a service has been published 330 and discovered  332 , the service may be invoked so that a service requestor and service provider may interact  334 . In the interact operation  334 , the service requestor invokes or initiates an interaction with the service at runtime using the binding details in the service description  322  to locate, contact, and invoke the service. Examples of service interactions  334  include: single message one way, broadcast from requester to many services, a multi message conversation, or a business process. Any of these types of interactions can be synchronous or asynchronous requests. 
         [0077]    In some embodiments of the invention, security mechanisms may be used to secure the Gaming Services Framework  300 . Securing the Gaming Services Framework typically involves providing facilities for ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the messages and for ensuring that a service acts only on requests in messages that express the claims required by policies. Examples of such mechanisms used in various embodiments of the invention include IPSec and SSL/TLS, which provide network and transport layer security between two endpoints. However, when data is received and forwarded on by an intermediary beyond the transport layer both the integrity of data and any security information that flows with it may be lost. This forces any upstream message processors to rely on the security evaluations made by previous intermediaries and to completely trust their handling of the content of messages. Thus it is desirable to include security mechanisms that provide end-to-end security, for example as may be provided by web services extensions as described above. It is also desirable that such mechanisms be able to leverage both transport and application layer security mechanisms to provide a comprehensive suite of security capabilities. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0078]    Systems and methods providing a service-oriented gaming network environment have been disclosed. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0079]    The terminology used in this application is meant to include all of these environments. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that the inventive subject matter be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.