Patent ID: 7721006

Claim:
A generic device controller unit system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines networked in a gaming machine network environment, each of the plurality of gaming machines comprising a non-true real time computer and at least one general purpose device controller, wherein: (a) the non-true real time computer comprises (i) a gaming processor,(ii) a non-true real time operating system, (iii) data representing a set of instructions of a meta-message set for communicating with the at least one general-purpose device controller, the meta-message set including a meta-message for updating one or more of the instructions in the meta-message set, and (iv) data representing a micro code implementation to interpret the messages in the meta-message set in the computer, and (b) the at least one general purpose device controller employs asynchronous true real time peripheral device control, wherein the device controller (i) interfaces between a plurality of peripheral devices and the gaming processor, thereby allowing the non-true real time operating system to implement true real time control of the plurality of peripheral devices; and (ii) implements a data and protocol communications interface, wherein the communications interface connects the gaming processor and the plurality of peripheral devices, thereby allowing the gaming processor to utilize a single protocol and associated data to communicate with the plurality of peripheral devices which may be utilizing protocols and associated data which are different than that used by the gaming processor; wherein the at least one general purpose device controller further comprises: (a) data representing a set of instructions from a meta-message set for communicating with the computer, the meta-message set including the meta-message for updating one or more of the instructions in the meta-message set, and (b) data representing a micro code implementation to interpret the messages in the meta-message set in the general purpose device controller and responsive to the meta-message for updating one or more of the instructions in the meta-message set by updating the data representing the set of instructions from the meta-message set and updating the data representing the micro code to include data to interpret the updated one or more instructions in the meta-message set.