Abstract: Compartmented system architecture and methods for enabling freelance game developers to (a) integrate their game software together with the slot manufacturer software and (b) tag their software such as to receive compensation based on the success of their games. The combined tagged freelance software and gaming manufacturer software may rapidly pass through certification testing and be downloaded overnight to a large number of gaming machines such as to offer players in casinos an unprecedented choice of new generation electronic games within a short timetable.

Abstract: Compartmented system architecture and methods for enabling freelance game developers to (a) integrate their game software together with the slot manufacturer software and (b) tag their software such as to receive compensation based on the success of their games. The combined tagged freelance software and gaming manufacturer software may rapidly pass through certification testing and be downloaded overnight to a large number of gaming machines such as to offer players in casinos an unprecedented choice of new generation electronic games within a short timetable.

Abstract: System architecture and methods for enabling (a) freelance game developers gather intelligence data such as to offer dazzling electronic games to the regulated casino gaming marketplace and receive compensation based on the success of their games, and (b) game operators gather intelligence data to enables them to tailor their regulated game offerings. Intelligence data for both the freelance game developers and the game operators are based on demand/popularity of identical trial games available to the public over a predetermined computer site, the trial games using simulated money only. In addition, players are provided with the location of the casinos offering their favorite game(s) for playing with real money, together with the promotions offered if any. Operators are provided with the contacts of the players and their list of favorite games such as to offer incentives to attract them to their casino.

Abstract: A method and system for players to purchase a time credit, play a vibrant console type skill game and place countless numbers of bets until the time credit has elapsed. A two-player console type skill game allows two players to enter a fierce challenge and place countless numbers of bets until the time credit has elapsed. Wherever gaming regulation allows time-gaming AutoBet, then the bet outcome result (instead of fixed points) is briefly shown and accumulated each time a winning or losing feature is hit along the play path; otherwise a “BET” or “No Bet” prompt confirms that a betting opportunity has been offered and requests that the player confirm his or her intention to place the bet.

Abstract: Creative multi-act games for the younger generation of casino players accustomed to creative simulation games such as “The Sims®” and familiar TV characters such as the cast of “Friends.” Stories unfold through acts that have been staged by the player by selecting and placing acting objects. A palette of betting opportunities may be provided in each act in accordance with the staged act to allow the player(s) to place bets. A typical storyboard may include three acts: (a) a construction act, (b) a testing act and (c) a destruction or resolution act. The unfolding of acts may be non-linear and several players may participate simultaneously, sharing the opportunity to affect a storyboard's direction through decision-making.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments of the present Hierarchical-Five Wheel model of gaming include systems in which every wager made on an electronic game of chance may trigger two games: 1) standard play on the machine's primary display and 2) the display of one or more numbers or symbols on the machine's secondary display. The numbers and/or symbols on each machine's secondary display may combine with the numbers or symbols on other player's secondary displays to create a shared game in which certain predetermined symbol combinations equate to jackpots awarded to participating players. Banks of Hierarchical-Five Wheel machines may have two levels of play, as is described above, or may have three, four, five or more levels of game play. Hierarchical Five-Wheel gaming machines are capable of awarding large, life-changing jackpots to players who are not necessarily winners within their primary game, giving the player multiple ways to win.

Abstract: Chip-Based Gaming includes methods for playing electronic games of chance or skill that provide players with a greater number of options and greater wagering flexibility than previous methods have afforded them. In the present Chip-Based gaming model, players may select virtual betting chips from an onscreen palette and apply those chips to various wagering opportunities throughout a game. Using this model, players are able to make individual bets on each of a slot machine's paylines or wager on making specific hands in Video Poker. Players are also able to buy and/or wager on symbol “nudges” and to buy symbol “re-spins” within a multi-line slot machine, options which provide the player with a much richer, more flexible gaming experience than he or she had heretofore enjoyed.

Abstract: A method for in-room gaming suitable for cruise ships and remote hotels allows players to play electronic games of skill or chance on their room TV or on any other available TV. Players may interact with the games via an input device as simple as a standard telephone or as powerful as a palm-sized WiFi device fitted with a credit card reader. The method and system need not require any rewiring of the room and leverages on any data service already in place, such as an individual telephone line, a wired or Wifi local area network. The in-room gaming system may include a central gaming server that generates the game video rendering for each player, the video being streamed or otherwise provided to the associated TV via an individual TV channel, thereby enabling rich, powerful and secure gaming while reducing maintenance costs and preventing obsolescence.

Abstract: Electronic games of chance are growing increasingly more complex, with each successive generation of games adding a wealth of new features and bonus schemes to enhance the player's gaming experience. Created in part to help players better enjoy this new, more complex brand of gaming, the present Gaming Sidekick may include an animated onscreen character who is able to help the player navigate his or her way through game play and to provide a number of exciting services that have never before been offered within a game of chance. The Gaming Sidekick may serve as a friend and ally to the player by providing tips on basic game strategy as well as gifts and encouragement. Gaming Sidekicks may be fully customizable, giving the player the capability to shape the image and behavior of his or her Gaming Sidekick or to use no Gaming Sidekick at all.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling a new generation of captivating multiplayer casino slot machine games with naught or little changes to the applicable regulatory game standards. In one embodiment thereof, the present invention is a 2-player/1-game casino slot machine wherein (a) a two-seater slot machine allows two players to share in primary game play by providing two seats, two sets of betting controls, and two sets of onscreen meters to track each player's performance, wins and losses, and wherein (b) back end control logic within each two-seater slot machine consolidates all game performance meters in such a way that the slot machine mimics a traditional single seat slot machine (i.e. 1-player/1-game) from accounting and regulatory points of view, thus requiring no changes to the accounting procedures and to the central casino management system.

Abstract: Methods and systems that enable cashless gaming dispense with the need to set up and operate a complex centrally controlled system or dispense with the need to distribute expensive smart cards. The patrons' gaming session meters (including, for example, a measure of winning and/or available credit) are distributed amongst an estate of peer networked gaming machines and are stored in redundant storage for fault tolerance.

Abstract: A method of operating a plurality of networked gaming machines in which each of the plurality of networked gaming machines is configured to enable a same or a different primary game to be played, may include steps of (randomly, for example) selecting a gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines; activating a secondary game on the selected gaming machine for a limited period of time and generating a player-perceptible indication that the secondary game is active on the selected gaming machine. When the limited period of time has elapsed, a step of de-activating the secondary game on the selected gaming machine may be carried out, whereupon the method may revert to the selecting step. The secondary game appears to the players on the casino floor as a roving and unpredictable opportunity to win additional prizes or bonus, or to be able to enter large outcome games, with animations, sounds and/or other enticing effects running from one gaming machine to another.

Abstract: A gaming machine may include a locked enclosure and a first computing device disposed within the locked enclosure. The first computing device may be programmed to enable game play of the gaming machine. A second computing device may be provided that is controlled by policies and disposed within the locked enclosure of the gaming machine. The second computing device may be configured for network access. An interface may also be provided between the first and the second computing devices. The second computing device may be configured to receive game software components over the network that are compatible with the first computing device but not compatible with the second computing device and to transfer the received game software components to the first computing device over the interface.

Abstract: An interactive TV device is configured to receive and process multiple broadband input streams simultaneously. The device includes functionality to perform as a Web browser, HF, cable and satellite TV receiver, a digital PVR, an interactive TV set-top box, an advanced central processing unit and a videoconferencing device, thanks to an integrated videoconferencing camera. The present interactive TV device is configured to manage all multimedia sources identically, whether the input is a TV channel, a Web page, or a video stream played back from a data carrier such as a DVD, for example. The present interactive TV device is also configured to enable a user to watch and record a plurality of video streams simultaneously and to display them on four independently manageable quarter screen segments.

Abstract: A universal method and system for downloading game software to ROM based legacy gaming machines, activating selected games and providing new services. The method includes a ROM emulator for replacing the game program image and an NVRAM emulator for swapping the game context and critical meters accordingly. The method includes detection of the state of the current game activity such as to activate a new game only at an authorized time, when no player is playing a game or is carded-in for example. The system includes emulation of the original peripherals fitted to the legacy gaming machine such as to offer extended functionality and services. The universal method and system therefore prolongs the useful life of legacy machines which otherwise would be prematurely retired.

Abstract: A compact transactional document-scanning terminal that conveniently capture an electronic image of most forms of printed documents at distributed locations, to capture either automatically from the scanned document or manually by operator interactivity all necessary process parameters or codes, to perform an electronic transaction in order to forward all the information to a remote computer or alternatively for local storage within the terminal, and to produce an electronic receipt and/or a paper receipt as a proof that the scan and store transaction has been successful and for later retrieval of information associated with the scanned document. The compact transactional document-scanning terminal may be configured to respond to various customer specifications.

Abstract: A universal computer-implemented method for submitting source code to an authorized game certification laboratory. Initial source code and subsequent source code patches may be transferred from the manufacturer's software development environment into the laboratory's software development environment in a controlled fashion using packaging installation technology normally used for deploying software applications. The packaging technology contains automation actions for automating the synchronization and/or management of the source code and related files between the two software development environments. The entirety of the source code or any source code patch sequence may be removed by executing the corresponding uninstall function. The package containing the original source code or the source code patch sequences and related files may be code signed such as to provide persistent proof of origin which may be verified at any time.

Abstract: An electronic controller for conducting trusted lightweight e-commerce transactions. A trusted transactional cache and the associated transactional protocol allow e-commerce transactions to be committed to a remote server extremely quickly and with little network overhead. The end-to-end transactions are completed is just a few seconds or less. The invention operates equally well on robust private networks as on unpredictable Internet or wireless networks. The transaction is automatically completed following a temporary communication failure with the central site or following a temporary local controller failure. The invention can advantageously be used in embedded Internet products such as fixed or mobile Internet kiosks, transactional terminals, and Internet Appliances.

Abstract: A method for gaming terminals, gaming kiosks and lottery terminals to ensure that the code-signing verification process of downloaded game software can be trusted. Drivers independently developed from the operating system supplier are embedded within the operating system kernel to verify that the micro-coded hardware components, the BIOS (808), the operating system components and the downloaded game software can be trusted.