JP2008532631A - MRAM for nonvolatile safety memory device for power supply HID and ESD tolerance in game machines - Google Patents

Abstract

  Provided is a game machine or a game system provided with MRAM and MROM. Boot programs and other read-only by disconnecting write connections, or by not providing PCB socket leads to MRAM write pins, or by using a memory hub that prevents writing to MRAM An MROM for storing the code is formed. A tell-tail board or other logging device that monitors activity in various components while the main machine power is interrupted records in the MRAM. The MRAM can have a dual port that connects to the logging device and the MGC. The various components can each have a dedicated logging device and MRAM. One MRAM associated with the brain box replaces both normal machine architecture DRAM and NVRAM, and is used for two purposes as normal operation and as a safe storage device, facilitating state restoration. Data priorities in the storage process are not required. Another MRAM associated with the back board stores data related to the external housing or terminal.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to electronic game machines and systems, and more particularly to system architectures and memory devices within or around electronic game machines and systems.

  Casinos and other forms of games are growing and constitute a multi-billion dollar industry, and over the past decades, game machines, especially game machines based on electronic and microprocessors, have been widely used. There has been a significant change in direction. In a typical gaming machine, such as a video poker or slot machine, when starting a game play, the player first bets cash, credits or other indicia, at which point the gaming machine There is a potential to determine the outcome of the game, present the outcome of the game to the player, and pay back some form of reward, including cash reward, depending on the outcome of the game. This process is generally applicable to both mechanical and electronic game consoles, but the diversity of the game is widening, the display is eye-catching and moves, and the accumulated prize money can be increased. In addition, electronic machines are often more familiar to players for a number of reasons and are therefore more profitable for casinos.

  Electronic gaming machines include a variety of hardware and software components and can provide a wide variety of game types and game play possibilities, such hardware and software being commonly used in the art. It is well known. Typical electronic game machines include, for example, banknote approving devices, coin accepting devices, card readers, key pads, buttons, levers, touch screens, coin hoppers, ticket printing machines, player tracking units, etc. Hardware and peripherals such as Game consoles also include a variety of audio and visual displays such as speakers, display panels, belly and top glazing, exterior cabinet decorations, lighting, and top box diorama. There can be any number of display components, as well as various types of video displays for displaying game play and other diverse information, among others, such video display types include, for example, cathode ray tubes. ("CRT"), liquid crystal display ("LCD"), light emitting diode ("LED"), flat panel display, and plasma display. Software components include, for example, boot and initialization routines, various game play programs and subroutines, credit and payout routines, image and sound generators, various modules and random number generators, among others. Can do.

  In addition, electronic gaming machines typically include a central processing unit (“CPU”) or a master game controller (“MGC”) that guides the game play and allows the player to play a game on the gaming machine. It executes itself and controls various processes and combinations of hardware and software devices such as components and processes that control refunds and other rewards. In addition to many other processors within the gaming machine, the MGC or CPU can interoperate with and access a wide variety of memory or storage devices, among others. Many memory devices are of different types. Such memory or storage devices can be, for example, static RAM (“SRAM”), dynamic RAM (“DRAM”), synchronous DRAM (“SDRAM”), battery backup, and other types of non-volatile, among others. RAM ("NVRAM") and various forms of flash and cache RAM, as well as, among other things, erasable PROM ("EPROM") and electrically erasable ROM ("EPROM"), compact disk (" CD ”), digital video disc (“ DVD ”), and many types of read-only memory (“ ROM ”), such as programmable ROM (“ PROM ”), including certain portions of the hard drive be able to.

  Game console peripheral and component instructions and other computer code are typically stored in some form of ROM, either by design or regulatory requirements, or both. Many ROM devices and their peripherals in electronic game machines are now programmed outside of the game machine or peripheral device, and then once programmed, must be installed on the game machine or peripheral device. This standard process has several major drawbacks. First, in order to program the ROM device with a special programming voltage, special equipment is usually required. In addition, most ROM devices cannot be programmed “in-circuit” and therefore need to be removed from the gaming machine for any reprogramming or updating. This usually requires some disassembly of the other components of the gaming machine to only reach the ROM device. Furthermore, ROM devices typically must be completely erased before reprogramming, which can itself be a time consuming process. Therefore, programming and updating parameters for the ROM devices of many current game consoles can be problematic and inconvenient.

  As is generally known, many forms of ROM tend to be relatively slow with respect to access speed, especially for many SRAM and DRAM type devices. For example, the access speed of many EPROM and EEPROM type devices is on the order of about 8 to 33 MHz, while the access speed of SRAM and DRAM type devices is typically about 133 to 800 MHz or higher. Even faster ROM devices such as CD-ROMs and hard drives operate at access speeds around 100 MHz and are still much slower than many RAM-type devices. Many game console programs and processes include initialization, authentication and other boot, startup, or similarly confidential processes that must be stored on ROM devices for various reasons, such as security purposes. In addition, these processes tend to have a relatively long time for execution with respect to the actual amount of memory used for the process. In fact, modern game consoles typically load and execute many resources each time they are powered on or through a boot process. Depending on the amount and size of the resources that must be loaded, this process often takes several minutes or more to complete, and such time generally increases as game consoles become more sophisticated and complex. Increase.

  Most of the loaded resources do not change while the game console is in use, but storing these boot programs and other sensitive routines on a relatively slow ROM device is a common practice for many jurisdictions. ) Is a rule, otherwise it is a convention. In fact, many of these programs and routines are copied to the DRAM or some other faster storage component during the boot process and when these programs are first run and / or normal games When it is repeatedly accessed during machine operation, it can access and operate faster. For example, most or many authentication codes are currently stored in one or more EPROMs in the gaming machine. During the boot process, this authorization code is copied and loaded into the game console's DRAM for future use. This is because EPROM is relatively very slow. Other programs and processes are copied as well, possibly authenticated, and then stored in a relatively fast SRAM, DRAM or other memory for future use. While such designs have proven standard in the gaming machine industry, it is inherently necessary to allocate multiple storage units and memory space for multiple copies of the same program itself. Inefficient.

  While existing systems and methods for providing system architecture and memory devices in electronic game machines and systems are not bad, improvements are always welcomed and encouraged. In view of many of the aforementioned obsolete mechanisms and their inherent inefficiencies, increasing the efficiency, accessibility, reducing complexity, and safety of providing non-volatile memory inside an electronic gaming machine It would be desirable to have an improved apparatus, system and method.

  In addition, many electronic game machines also include some form of logging during power outages or power outages, and some notable events while the main power to the game machine is out of power or cut off. Can be detected. When provided, such events are typically recorded on a “tell-tale board” or other similar recording device powered by a separate battery. Such devices typically open main doors, banknote doors, drop doors, brain boxes, card cages, and / or other dangerous doors, Whether various events such as intrusion into game consoles are monitored, and such events have occurred to casinos or other game console operators while the main power to the game console is interrupted or interrupted It is possible to notify whether or not. Then, in such cases, appropriate security measures or other measures can be taken, and as is generally known in the art, such dangerous intrusions occur during power outages or power interruptions. .

  While useful, the overall capability of such tell-tail boards or recording devices is a power source for operating the recording device and maintaining the storage of any recorded data until main power to the machine is restored. Because of the limitations, it may be limited. Many convenient storage forms, such as DRAM, require periodic refreshes to maintain storage, which is very costly and often impractical in battery powered situations. DRAM tends to gradually consume the battery over time, and as a result, a situation occurs in which the stability of recorded data is not guaranteed for a long time. For this reason, other forms of storage are often used for tell-tail boards, and flash RAM is a popular option because it can hold data without periodic power refresh It has become. However, flash RAM also has drawbacks. This is because it usually requires a page write, which requires longer cycles and increases power. Ter tail boards and other recording devices are usually sensitive offline due to concerns that the power source is limited and that relatively large amounts of power are required to monitor events and record data offline. Designed to record only actual “yes” or “no” data regarding events, no relevant data such as date, time, number of occurrences, and other details are recorded. Then, when the maximum power is restored to the gaming machine, it is usually only informed that at least one given door has been opened while the power was cut off.

  While existing systems and methods that use recording and storage devices to track and record power outages and shutdown events in electronic gaming machines are not bad, improvements are always welcomed and encouraged. In view of the above, such recording and storage devices within electronic game machines and systems are required for such mechanisms, while increasing diversity, at least with respect to increased storage capacity and black selection. It is desirable that the expected increase does not occur in response to power levels.

  In addition, many game console operators, manufacturers, and game jurisdictions have some level of relevance at game consoles, particularly with respect to any “secure storage” method for backing up sensitive game console data. Requires power-hit resistance and electrostatic discharge (“ESD”) resistance. Such sensitive data may include, for example, current game status and outcomes, various meter readings, machine settings, logs, etc., some or all of which may be “safe” in non-volatile memory. It can be stored using a “memory” device, and the stored data can be recalled whenever a malfunction, power failure, player quarrel, or other similar event occurs. Battery backup RAM is an example of such a non-volatile memory “safe memory” device (eg, NVRAM) that is used in many types of gaming machines for these purposes. Another possible solution to the NVRAM problem is to use an EEPROM. This allows the memory to be maintained without a regular power supply. The use of EEPROM, however, has other drawbacks. In other words, an EEPROM often has a long access time, usually requires a software driver to facilitate access, and may become unusable after tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of writes. EEPROM is generally not used as a secure storage device.

  On the other hand, many NVRAMs designed to store sensitive game information for long periods of time typically require some form of battery or power backup to preserve device non-volatility. Many of these batteries are designed to last for several years, but any battery can cause many problems because it needs to be replaced. The problem includes the loss of sensitive data if such exchanges are not timely. Also, using a battery as a power backup source can significantly limit the type and amount of memory that can be used for such purposes. As noted above, SRAM or DRAM requires a relatively large amount of power, so using this type of unit with a battery is virtually impossible as a practical matter. As a result, the actual storage space available for the battery backup RAM is relatively limited. Furthermore, as with many ROM devices, the access speed of a typical battery backup RAM is relatively slow compared to SRAM, DRAM, and many other RAM type devices. Also, many typical battery-backed fixed memory techniques for non-volatile memory can be problematic for various other reasons, such as in an open game development environment, due to security issues There is sex.

  There are also other problems associated with using NVRAM for secure storage of sensitive gaming machine events and data. Thus, when using battery-backed RAM or other NVRAM devices for secure storage, the same or similar data is stored on the gaming machine, such as on volatile DRAM, for normal gaming machine operation. A copy is made in the sense of storing somewhere. Of course, storing replicas is inherently inefficient, sometimes when recording to one storage device and the main power is turned off before making the same or similar recording to another recording device, Can cause inconsistencies. For example, even if a specific game state is recorded in the DRAM, there is a possibility that the specific game state may be lost in a moment required for recording the specific game state also in the NVRAM. Also, recording to a secure storage device usually involves some form of encryption or checksum for security purposes, which can further exacerbate the overall inefficiency in the process.

  In addition, it may be necessary to record a number of state-related items on various devices, such as permanent and transient meters inside the gaming machine. For example, many gaming machines are equipped with a set of meters and storage devices attached to the MGC or main processor board, and a separate set of meters and storage devices attached to the main cabinet or physical terminal. . This distinction is important when the contents of the MGC, main processor board, or “brain box” are removed from the gaming machine and replaced with another one. The former set of meters and storage devices move with the components being removed, while the latter set of meters and storage devices remain with the "back plane" of the gaming machine that has been removed or modified. . As noted above, using multiple devices to record the same or similar items can be inefficient, and the level of such inefficiency can vary depending on the device and process used. It rises as the number of types increases.

  While existing systems and methods of providing “safe memory” devices to record specific conditions in electronic game consoles and systems are not bad, improvements are always welcomed and encouraged. In view of the above, such a safe storage device and technique increases the storage capacity, at least the number of devices used, the complexity of the various safe storage procedures used, and the safety storage devices and commonly used devices game machines. With regard to reliability when storing and reproducing state data, it is desirable to increase reliability and efficiency.

  An advantage of the present invention is to provide improved hardware architecture and memory devices in electronic gaming machines and systems. This is, in many embodiments, within or around an electronic gaming machine or system, such as magnetoresistive random access memory (“MRAM”) and / or magnetoresistive read only memory (“MROM”). This is achieved by providing at least one magnetoresistive storage device. Such products can be used to replace other memory devices in existing game consoles, systems, and architectures, and are more efficient for alternative game consoles and system architectures than existing ones. It can also be used to assist in creation. This will be described in more detail below. As described above, in an apparatus, system, and method for providing a nonvolatile memory in an electronic game machine, efficiency improvement, reliability improvement, and speeding up can be achieved.

  In accordance with many embodiments of the present invention, the disclosed apparatus, system, and method are configured to accept a wager, play a game based on the wager, and award a payout based on the outcome of the game. The present invention relates to a game machine or a game system. These game consoles or systems further include an MGC configured to control one or more game aspects so that they can communicate with and control other game consoles or system components. be able to. Many of the disclosed gaming systems can include a gaming machine, and these and other gaming machine embodiments include an external enclosure configured to incorporate a display and / or internal gaming machine components in or around it. Including the body. Some embodiments may also include various input and output devices, such as a display for presenting game information to players. Various machine and system embodiments may also include a memory hub to facilitate communication between different items or components, such as between an MGC and one or more memory devices.

  Many embodiments of the invention also include some kind of at least one magnetoresistive storage device, such as MRAM and / or MROM. As in other RAM and ROM devices, MRAM includes storage devices that are normally rewritable, while MROM includes storage devices that are not normally rewritable. Such a device can communicate with the MGC of the game console or system, and can also work primarily with the MGC. Alternatively, the MRAM or MROM device may be linked to an external housing of the game machine or other physical terminal that presents the game to the player, such as a display. Such a distinction can be important when some memory devices are intended to serve a particular MGC and other memory devices are intended to serve a particular game console or game terminal. Communication between the MGC and various other gaming machine or system components, such as MRAM or MROM, may also occur indirectly through one or more memory hubs. In addition, in some embodiments, the MGC itself may include a portion of MRAM or MROM.

  In certain embodiments, a gaming machine or game system may include MRAM, MROM, or both. Such an MROM can be used for at least one critical gaming machine, such as a particular game application, operating system, boot loader, boot process, initialization process, authentication process, configuration process, and diagnostic process. It can contain computer code for a program or process. In addition, at least one of the MRAM and MROM devices provided in the game console or system is configured to provide stored data or computer code to the MGC at a rate faster than 8 MHz. This is a relatively slow rate at which current game console EPROMs operate. In a further improved embodiment, this rate can be faster than 33 MHz, faster than 133 MHz, or greater than 800 MHz, depending on the magnetoresistive storage device and bus configuration actually used.

  Depending on the embodiment, it is possible to prevent at least a part of the MROM to be used from being written or change any of the codes while the game machine or the system is mounted. This result can be obtained by physical termination of the write-connected MROM to a non-writable or unchangeable part, such as by disconnecting the write connection. A write connection is a normal write pin to MROM or a physical lead on a printed circuit board ("PCB"). Such physical termination is also made by making appropriate connections to the MROM write pins, particularly by removably plugging the MROM into sockets inside the PCB that have no connection to any form of writing device. be able to. Any such physical termination to the write-connected MROM can be performed while the game machine or system operation computer code is stored in the MROM. The foregoing results can also be achieved when substantially all communication with the MROM is done through a memory hub, or when the MROM is made unwritable and unchangeable by control at the memory hub. Such control can prevent any communication to the MROM along any write channel during a specified time period or at any time. In some embodiments, the memory hub may include an application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”).

  In yet another specific embodiment of the present invention, a gaming machine or power supply that receives at least a level of power sufficient to accept a wager, play a game based on the wager, and award a payout based on the outcome of the game. A main power source configured to supply the system is provided. In addition, "Tell Tail Board" or other to record details of activities in various gaming machine components when an inappropriate level of power is being supplied to the gaming machine or system through mains power A similar logging device can be provided. Such inadequate power levels may include no power at all, or to perform normal gaming machine operations such as accepting wagers, playing games, and giving dividends. May be an insufficient amount. For the purpose of storing this recorded data, a specific MRAM or other similar non-volatile low power random access memory storage device may be provided.

  Depending on the version, this particular MRAM or other storage device may be accessible to both MGC and logging devices, as in the dual or multi-port version, whereas in another embodiment A specific MRAM or other storage device that is only accessible to the logging device, in which case the logging device will provide the recorded data to the MGC when the appropriate power level is restored to the gaming machine Can be configured. In yet another version, each gaming console component for which activity is recorded is linked with its own disparate non-volatile, low voltage random access memory storage device, while each of which is its own essence. Working with different non-volatile, low voltage random access memory storage devices. In any such case, data stored on a particular MRAM or other storage device is made available to MGC at a rate faster than 8 MHz. In a more refined version, this rate can be faster than 33 MHz, faster than 133 MHz, or faster than 800 MHz, depending on the storage device and bus configuration actually used.

  Various embodiments having a logging device may also include a secondary power source configured to supply power to the logging device during a power failure. Such a secondary power source can be a battery, a rechargeable battery, or a network cable configured to deliver power, among other things. Many game console components can be included to record their activity, specific examples include main doors, brain box doors, bill slot doors, bill validators, bill withdrawal machines. , Coin hoppers, coin acceptors, ticket printers, touch screens, bezels, spectrum controllers, player tracking devices, and game reels. In some embodiments, data may be written to MRAM or other storage device at a voltage lower than 4 volts, and may include voltages in the range of about 2.7 volts to about 3.6 volts.

  In another specific embodiment, the first MRAM in the gaming machine or system is used for normal gaming operations by the MGC and the gaming machine or system in the event of substantial interruption to the gaming machine or system. It is configured to store game machine data or computer code for both purposes as a secure storage device to facilitate restoration. This first MRAM primarily works with the MGC and possibly with one or more other components such as a memory hub, and when the MGC is removed from the game console or game system, the first MRAM is Do not leave. In addition, a second MRAM may also be included in the gaming machine or system, which is primarily an external housing of the gaming machine or some other physical component of the terminal, such as a display, in the gaming system. Work with. The second MRAM is configured to store auxiliary game machine data or game computer code related to the external casing or other physical terminal regardless of whether the MGC is linked in that way. Can do. Both the first MRAM and the second MRAM can communicate with the MGC, and this communication can also occur indirectly through a memory hub.

  The detailed version of this embodiment further includes a “brain box” that can be removed from an external enclosure of a gaming machine or a physical terminal of a game system, and an external enclosure or physical terminal when removing the brain box. And a “back board” configured to remain with. In such a detailed version, the brain box can contain an MGC, a memory hub and a first MRAM, while the back board has a second housing or terminal after each play in a game console or system terminal. The data or code stored in the MRAM attached to the computer can be updated. Alternatively, such updates can be done once every third game play, such as once every three times, and the frequency of updates is currently done in the industry, such as every 100 game plays. This is a much higher frequency.

  Various other specific embodiments include a method of operating a gaming machine or system. One such method includes the steps of activating a game machine or system or causing other reset conditions and a computer program for a program or process stored in a ROM associated with the game machine or game system. Detecting the code, reading the stored computer code from the ROM at a rate faster than 8 MHz, and reading the stored computer code from the ROM only from other storage devices. Performing the game machine process without being based on any other copy. Of course, the ROM can be an MROM, and the read rate can be an increased rate, as described above. The method may include not making a copy of the computer code stored in any other memory device, at least for the purpose of executing a gaming machine process. The method can also include the step of authenticating the stored computer code. This may require making a copy of the code on another storage device for authentication purposes only. The stored computer code can be read from the ROM to the game console or game system MGC, and any copy of the stored computer code can be read from any other storage device to the MGC. May not be accompanied. The game console or system process could be a boot process, or could be any of a number of other processes as listed below.

  In yet another specific embodiment of a method of operating a gaming machine or system, detecting the occurrence of a fatal event that affects the state of the gaming machine or system, and data relating to the detected fatal event, Storing in a given storage device; determining a particular state of the gaming machine or system based on the stored data; reading the stored data from the storage device; and Based on the reading, performing a normal game machine or system operation, finding a substantial interruption to the normal game machine or system operation, and then re-storing the data stored from the same storage device A game based on the step of reading and then re-reading the stored data Or it may include the steps of asserting a specific state immediately before the system again. In such a method, the asserting and re-asserting steps can include displaying data relating to at least a portion of the particular state on the display of the gaming machine or system. Additional steps can be provided to establish a stable power input to the game console or system and to establish stable communication within the game console or system after the discovery step.

  In yet another specific embodiment of a method of operating a gaming machine or system, the step of finding a period during which an inappropriate level of power is being supplied to the gaming machine through the main power source, and during such a power down period MRAM or other non-volatile, low voltage random access memory storage device that detects data in one or more gaming machine components and data about various details of such detected activity during a power down period And then establishing an appropriate level of power for the gaming machine through the main power source, and then recording the recorded data to the master gaming controller of the gaming machine at a relatively fast rate such as 33 MHz or higher. Communicating. In addition to these, supplying power from the secondary power source to the logging device, monitoring activity in various gaming machine components during the power down period, and in one of the monitored gaming machine components When activity is detected, the method may include providing power at an increased level from the secondary power source to the logging device.

  Also, any of the foregoing embodiments can include more specific elements in its various detailed versions. For example, a game system can include a physical terminal configured to present game results to a player of the game system. Such gaming terminals may include gaming machines, displays, and / or some other physical item. In addition, all or part of the MRAM can be singularly replaced with both DRAM and NVRAM in a conventional gaming machine or system architecture. Other details are not stored in any gaming machine or system component other than the MRAM, but are stored in the MRAM, all or part of the gaming machine or system data or computer code stored in the MRAM. It may contain only one copy or multiple copies of the data or computer code that is present. Thus, the game machine or system data and computer code stored in the MRAM may include data relating to the state of the game machine or system, and such data relating to the game machine or system state may be stored in the storage process. Can be stored in the MRAM without prioritizing any of the data.

  In the foregoing embodiments, any more detailed version thereof may include details for some of the aforementioned items. For example, a substantial interruption or reset to a game console or system can involve power outages, large electrostatic discharges, resets, fatal hardware malfunctions, catastrophic software malfunctions, tilt to essential components and physical damage All of which can be applied to a single game machine, the entire game system, or an important part thereof. Important events include coin insertion, bill insertion, cashless instrument in, meter exchange, game selection, player input, partial game outcome, finished game outcome, coin discharge, or non-cash security It can include cashless instrument out. Normal game machine or system operations include meter replacement, meter display, game selection, game play, partial game results, finished game results, game display, coin discharge, non-cash securities discharge, machine Various procedures involving yield calculation, information display, and data communication.

  Other methods, features and advantages of the present invention will be or will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional methods, features and advantages be included in the present description, fall within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the appended claims.

  The drawings included are for illustrative purposes and provide examples of possible structures and process steps for the disclosed system and method of the present invention for providing a magnetoresistive memory unit in a gaming machine or game system. Only fulfills. These drawings are not intended to limit any changes in form and detail that can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

  Applications of the system and method according to the present invention are described in this section. These examples are only given to add context and assist in understanding the present invention. That is, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. On the other hand, well-known process steps are not described in order not to obscure the present invention. Other applications are possible and the following examples should not be taken as definitive or restrictive in terms of any of the ranges or settings. In the detailed description that follows, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings form a part of the description and illustrate, by way of illustration, specific embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to put the invention to practical use, but these examples are not limiting and other embodiments may be used, and It goes without saying that changes can be made without departing from the scope.

  One of the advantages of the present invention is that a relatively fast and highly reliable ROM is introduced into a game machine or system. This is achieved in part by using one or more magnetoresistive storage devices suitable for being a read only memory (ie, MROM). In some embodiments, a conventional MRAM configuration may be modified to make its write function physically impossible or otherwise stopped, while in another embodiment The writing function to such an MRAM device is controlled by another device and maintained in a non-writing configuration for most or all of the time.

  Another advantage of the disclosed apparatus, system, and method is to provide an increased versatility logging device and increased storage capacity in a gaming machine or system. This is achieved, in part, by utilizing one or more MRAM devices configured to store more data at a power consumption level below that of conventional tell-tail board storage devices. In some embodiments, these MRAMs may have dual ports that connect to both the logging device and MGC or other main processor, and in other embodiments, various "smart" games The machine components each have their own dedicated logging device and MRAM and can track offline events.

  Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it can provide a safe storage device with increased efficiency and reliability for recording status information during a power strike or in the event of a malfunction of another game console or system. Instead of operating with different copies or versions of the same information in a fast but volatile DRAM and a slow but non-volatile battery backup RAM or other NVRAM, one copy of the information is Supplied for both machine operation and secure storage in high-speed and non-volatile MRAM. By using it in this way, the number of devices to be used and the complexity of the process can be greatly reduced. In addition, priority is given to the data stored in the NVRAM that would otherwise limit the capacity. The need can be completely eliminated. Of course, in many of these specific applications and other applications within a gaming machine or system, the non-volatile, reliable, low power and relatively fast characteristics of most forms of MRAM are beneficial. I can say that.

  Although the present invention is primarily directed to game consoles and systems, some of the devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein may be modifiable for use with other types of devices or environments and their use. It is worth noting that is not limited only to gaming machines and their associations. Such other modifications will be readily apparent upon review of the devices, systems, and methods of the present invention illustrated and discussed herein. The remainder of this detailed description begins with a comprehensive discussion of the gaming machine, gaming machine architecture, and conventional MRAM devices. Following that, a specific embodiment of a special game machine having an alternative game machine architecture is presented, followed by various uses of such game machines and game systems. Finally, an example of the network and system configuration is shown.

Referring to FIG. 1 first game machine, an example of the game machine is shown in perspective view. The game machine 10 includes a top box 11 and a main cabinet 12. The main cabinet 12 covers the entire interior of the machine (not shown) and is visible to the user. The top box and / or main cabinet may be combined or separate to form an external enclosure configured to contain a plurality of internal gaming machine components. The main cabinet 12 preferably includes a main door 20 on the front surface of the game machine and is opened to enter the game machine. The main door typically has one or more player input switches or buttons 21, one or more cash or credit accepting devices, such as a coin accepting device and bill or ticket approving device 23, a coin tray 24, and a curved glass (belly glass) 25 is attached. Through the main door 20, the main video display monitor 26 and one or more information panels 27 are visible. The main video display monitor 26 is typically a cathode ray tube, a high resolution flat panel LCD, a plasma / LED display, or other conventional or other type of appropriate video monitor. Alternatively, instead of the display monitor 26, a plurality of game reels can be used as the main game machine display, and such game reels are preferably electronically controlled. This will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

  The top box 11 is typically placed on the main cabinet 12 and includes a ticket printer 28, a key pad 29, one or more additional displays 30, a card reader 31, one or more speakers 32, a top A glass 33, one or more cameras 34, and a secondary video display monitor 35 may be incorporated. The secondary video display monitor 35 may similarly be a cathode ray tube, a high resolution flat panel LCD, a plasma / LED display, or other conventional or other type of appropriate video monitor. Alternatively, secondary display monitor 35 can also be a game reel or a physical diorama that can include other moving components such as, for example, one or more movable dice, a spin wheel, or a rotating display. You may exchange with other displays. There are many features, models, types and variations of game machines, and not all such game machines include all or any of the items mentioned above, but many game machines are described above. It goes without saying that it contains no other items.

  With respect to the basic game functions provided, the gaming machine 10 can be used in any of a number of game events, particularly sports events or slot machine games, keno games, video poker games, video games, etc. Presents a gambling game with a player's wager and potential money refunds, such as a wager on a common game such as a blackjack game and / or other video table games It will be easy to understand that it can be configured to play. The game machine 10 can usually be configured for live game play with an on-site player, but such a game machine can be configured for game play with a player at a remote game terminal. It is also assumed that it may be configured. Other mechanisms and functions may be used in conjunction with game machine 10, particularly with game machines or devices that can include any or all of these additional types of mechanisms and functions, It is envisioned that the present invention can be used. These and other variations and types of game machines are manufactured by many manufacturers, such as IGT, Reno, Nevada, for example.

  Special features and additional circuitry are provided for electronic game machines, particularly those manufactured by IGT, which differentiate them from general purpose computers such as laptops or desktop personal computers. . Game consoles are strictly regulated to ensure fairness and are often operable to reimburse millions of dollars in monetary rewards, so hardware and software that differs significantly from general purpose computers. It may be incorporated into a typical electronic gaming machine to meet security concerns and many strict regulatory requirements that apply to the gaming environment. Descriptions and examples of current gaming machine architectures can be found in various references, and various discussions about hardware and software structures for electronic gaming machines can be assigned, for example, to the same assignee as the present application. US Pat. No. 6,804,763 of Stockdale, et al. Entitled “High Performance Battery Backed RAM Interface” and assigned to the same assignee as this application. Co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 040,239 by LeMay, et al. Entitled “Game Development Architecture That Decouples The Game Logic From The Graphics Logic”. And "Decoupling Of The Grapical Presentation Of A Game From The Presentation Logic" No. 10 / 041,242 of Breckner, et al. Each of these is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. A general description of the many specificities in electronic gaming machines with respect to general purpose computers and specific examples of additional or different components and mechanisms found in such electronic gaming machines will now be provided.

  At first glance, adapting PC technology to the gaming industry may be considered a simple proposal. This is because both PCs and game machines employ microprocessors to control various devices. However, for reasons such as 1) regulatory requirements imposed on game machines, 2) harsh environments in which game machines operate, 3) security requirements, and 4) fault-tolerant requirements, PC technology is Adapting to can be very difficult. Furthermore, techniques and methods for solving problems such as device compatibility and connectivity issues in the PC industry may not be appropriate in a gaming environment. For example, faults or weaknesses that are allowed in a PC, such as security holes in software and frequent crashes, may not be allowed in a game console. Because in gaming machines, these obstacles can lead to a direct loss of funds from the gaming machine, such as cash theft or loss of revenue when the gaming machine is not operating properly. Because.

  Thus, one of the differences between game consoles and general PC-based computers or systems is that game machines are designed to be state-based systems. In a state-based system, the system stores and maintains its current state in non-volatile memory so that in the event of a power outage or other malfunction, the gaming machine returns to its current state when power is restored. ing. For example, if the player is rewarded for a joyful game and a power failure occurs before the reward is given, the game machine returns to the state of reward when power is restored. As anyone who has used a PC knows, the PC is not a state machine and most of the data is lost when a malfunction occurs. This basic requirement has various impacts on game console software and hardware design.

  The second important difference between a game machine and a general PC-based computer system is that, for regulatory purposes, the software on the game machine used to generate a gambling game and operate the game machine is a game It must be designed statically and monolithically to prevent the machine operator from cheating. For example, one solution that has been adopted in the gaming industry to prevent cheating and meet regulatory requirements is to execute instructions for generating gambling games from EPROM or other forms of non-volatile memory. It was to produce a gaming machine that could use a company specific processor. The coded instructions on the EPROM are static (not changeable) and must be installed in the presence of a person representing the game jurisdiction, approved by a game regulator in a particular jurisdiction. For example, a new device driver may be added and used by the master game controller to operate the device during the gambling game generation, such as the software required to generate the gambling game. Any change to any part may require burning a new EPROM, approved by the game jurisdiction, and reinstalled in the game console in the presence of a game regulator. In order to obtain approval in most game jurisdictions, whether or not an EPROM solution is used, the game machine will demonstrate sufficient safeguards and the game machine operator may be unfair or illegal. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the operator from operating the hardware and software so as to be more advantageous than the player. The requirement for code validity judgment in the game industry affects both hardware and software for game machines.

  A third important difference between a game machine and a general PC-based computer system is that the number and types of peripheral devices used on the game machine are not as large as those of a PC-based computer system. Traditionally, in the gaming industry, gaming machines have been relatively simple in the sense that the number of peripheral devices and the number of functions in the gaming machine are limited. In addition, new peripheral devices and new game software are rarely added to existing operating game machines, so the functionality of a game machine is relatively low once the game machine is deployed. Tends to remain constant. This is different from PCs, where users often purchase new and different device and software combinations from different manufacturers, connect or install these new products to the PC, and adapt them to their individual needs. . Accordingly, the type of device connected to the PC may vary greatly from user to user depending on the requirements of each user, and may vary greatly over time for a given PC.

  There are many different devices available for PCs than game machines, but game machines also have unique device requirements that differ from PCs, such as the security requirements of devices that are not normally addressed by PCs. For example, money-related devices used to supervise cash input and output to gaming machines, such as coin reimbursers, bill approvers, ticket printers, and calculators, are typically security requirements that are not addressed by PCs. There is. Many PC techniques and methods developed to promote device connectivity and device compatibility are not involved in the emphasis placed on security in the gaming industry. To address some of these issues, a number of hardware / software components and architectures are utilized in gaming machines and are not typically found in general purpose computers such as PCs. These hardware / software components and architectures include, but are not limited to, watchdog timers, voltage monitoring systems, state-based software architecture and supporting hardware, special communications interfaces, security monitoring, and trusted memory Including items such as

  Watchdog timers are typically used in IGT game consoles to provide a software fault detection mechanism. In a normal operating system, running software periodically accesses control registers in the watchdog timer subsystem to “retrigger” the watchdog. If the running software does not access the control register within a preset time frame, the watchdog timer expires and a system reset occurs. A typical watchdog timer circuit includes a loadable timeout counter register that allows the operating software to set the timeout interval within a certain time range. A preferred circuit differentiation mechanism is that the operating software cannot completely disable the function of the watchdog timer. In other words, the watchdog timer will always be functioning when power is applied to the board.

  The IGT gaming computer platform preferably uses several power supply voltages to operate a portion of the computer circuitry. These can be generated at the central power supply or internally on the computer board. If any of these voltages falls outside the allowable limits of the circuits they supply, unpredictable operation of the computer can occur. Most general purpose computers include voltage monitoring circuits, but these types of circuits only report voltage status to the operating software. If the allowable voltage is not exceeded, there is a possibility that the software malfunctions and an uncontrolled state may occur in the game computer. In an IGT game machine, however, the voltage margin of the power supply is stricter than required by the operation circuit. In addition, voltage monitoring circuits implemented in IGT game computers typically have two control thresholds. The first threshold generates a software event, which can be detected by running software and an error condition can be generated. This threshold is induced when the power supply voltage is outside the allowable range of the power supply but is within the operating range of the circuit. The second threshold value is set when the power supply voltage is out of the allowable operation range of the circuit. In this case, the circuit generates a reset and interrupts the operation of the computer.

  A standard operating method of game software of an IGT game machine uses a state machine. Each function of the game (eg, betting, playing, outcome) is defined as a state. As the game moves from one state to another, sensitive data about the game software is stored in the custom non-volatile memory subsystem. In addition, the game history or “status” information includes information about the credit amount of the machine, the status of any game in progress, data about games previously played, bet amounts, etc. Any or all of these are non-volatile This mechanism allows the state of the gaming machine to be restored if the gaming machine is substantially interrupted, among other things, Can include power outages, game console resets, fatal hardware malfunctions, catastrophic software malfunctions, and game console functional tilt, which will be easily recognized. Is important to ensure that credits, and other important information items are stored.

  Typically, a battery backup RAM device or other similar component is used to store this sensitive data. These memory devices are not used in typical general purpose computers. Also, the software structure on the gaming machine can include a secure memory management module, preferably configured to recursively update the overall state of the gaming machine to one or more non-volatile storage components. Has been. The secure memory management module can also be configured to restore the gaming machine to some or all of the overall state stored in the non-volatile storage component. Further details about the state-based storage and reproduction process in game machines are disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,804,763, which is identical to the present application. The contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes.

  In addition, substantial interruptions to the gaming machine are typically monitored by one or more system managers, such as, for example, a tilt manager. When machine properties such as power level, temperature, static electricity level, and other factors are monitored, and one or more of these game console properties exceed the set tolerance level for any reason A warning signal or a tilt generation command is appropriately sent and acted. Details of such property monitoring and tilt generation process in game consoles are entitled “Modular Tilt Handling System” by Breckner, et al., Assigned to the same assignee as the present application and co-pending. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 954,816. The contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes.

  Continuing further, IGT gaming computers typically have additional interfaces, including a serial interface, that connect to specific subsystems inside and outside the gaming machine. Serial devices have different electrical interface requirements than the “standard” EIA RS232 serial interface, Fiber Optic Serial, optically coupled serial interface, current loop style serial interface, etc. specified by general purpose computers. May include. In addition, serial devices may be connected in a shared daisy chain to maintain the serial interface inside the game console, in which case multiple peripheral devices are connected to a single serial channel. become.

  Alternatively, an IGT gaming machine may be treated as a peripheral device for the casino communication controller and connected to one serial interface in a shared daisy chain. In both cases, it is preferable to assign each device address to a peripheral device. Then, the serial controller circuit must implement a method for generating or detecting a unique device address. A general purpose computer serial port cannot do this. In addition, when the security monitoring circuit detects an intrusion into the IGT game machine, it monitors a security switch attached to the entry door in the game machine cabinet. Preferably, an entry violation may interrupt game play and induce additional security actions to preserve the current state of game play. These circuits also function when the power is shut down due to the use of battery backup. In the power-off operation, these circuits continue to monitor the entrance door of the game machine. When the power is restored, the game machine can determine whether or not any security violation has occurred while the power is cut off by software or the like reading the status register. As a result, it is possible to induce event log input and further data authentication operation by the game machine software.

  It is preferable to include a trusted memory device in an IGT gaming machine computer to ensure the authenticity of software that may be stored in a less secure memory subsystem, such as a mass storage device. Trusted memory devices and control circuits are typically designed to not allow modification of code and data stored in the memory device while the memory device is implemented in a gaming machine. The codes and data stored in these devices can include, for example, authentication algorithms, random number generators, authentication keys, operating system kernels, and the like. The purpose of these trusted memory devices is to give game regulators a trusted endorsement in the gaming machine computing environment that can be tracked and verified to be original. To accomplish this, the trusted memory device may be removed from the gaming machine computer and verified that the contents of the secure memory device are a separate third party verification device. Once the trusted memory device has been verified as authentic, based on the approval of the verification algorithm built into the trusted device, the gaming machine may be responsible for code and data stored on the hard disk drive, You are allowed to verify the authenticity of any additional code and data that may be located within the game computer assembly.

  Mass storage devices used in general purpose computers are typically capable of reading and writing code and data from the mass storage device. In game console environments, modifications to game code stored on mass storage devices are strictly controlled and are not allowed unless under certain conservative events, electronic and physical enablers. Is required. Although this security level is provided by software, an IGT gaming computer including a mass storage device preferably includes a hardware level mass storage data protection circuit and operates at the circuit level to provide mass storage. Monitors attempts to modify data on the device and generates both software and hardware error triggers when data modification is attempted without proper electronic and physical enablers being presented. In addition to this fundamentally provided game function, these and other mechanisms and functions serve to differentiate game machines and classify them into special classes of computers that are distinct and distinct from general purpose computers.

Game Machine Architecture Turning now to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 shows an example of a partial architecture of an electronic game machine in block diagram form. Although it is recognized that there are places where this architecture is similar to the architecture of PCs, various differences that can be said to be unique to the architecture of such game machines remain. Also, the various architectural items shown represent only some of the many architectural elements possible for a gaming machine, and many other such items are included in and / or substituted for those shown. It will also be appreciated that not all items shown must be included. Also, a wide variety of hardware components and models can be used for a given item, and it goes without saying that any such suitable component is contemplated for use in the present invention. Further, it will be appreciated that the various items shown are presented for illustrative purposes only and need not be in the particular locations or arrangements shown, and may be much less for a given game console. For example, the main display 26 is typically located at or near the center of the front of the gaming machine and the speakers 32 are located on both sides of the gaming machine where the top box merges with the main cabinet, but one or more These items may instead be arranged in various other locations or relative configurations.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the game machine 10 is roughly divided into a top box 11 and a main cabinet 12. The CPU 50 is preferably a game machine MGC or a part thereof, but executes logic provided by game software on the game machine or system. Such a CPU may be, for example, a Pentium series processor available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California, or a K6 series processor available from AMD Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, among others. To enhance the performance of this MGC or CPU, it is stored in a memory cache 51 that is directly on the CPU 50 or other relatively convenient location (not shown) that can be located directly from the CPU bus 52, for example. Good. In applications where sensitive data needs to be stored, such a memory cache is typically not used to store sensitive data. This is because the data stored at these locations can be lost in the event of a power failure. That is, a separate nonvolatile memory storage device such as NVRAM2 81 is utilized. Details thereof will be described below.

  A north bridge 60 facilitates communication between various signals such as, for example, CPU bus signals, peripheral device interface ("PCI") bus signals, and memory bus signals, among others. It is essentially provided as a memory hub for conversion. An example of such another signal may be an advanced graphics port (“AGP”) signal, if applicable. CPU bus 52, PCI bus 69, memory bus 68, AGP (not shown), and other signals may vary depending on voltage level, clock rate, and bit width. Also, the format of the appropriate control signals on various conductors, such as read strobe, write strobe, timing ready signal, address signal, and data signal, may vary from conductor to conductor. North Bridge 60 can be any suitable form of suitable memory hub, such as, for example, an ASIC or a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), among others. Allows communication between other different types of conductors. For example, the PCI standard is a standard that occupies a solid position in the personal computer industry and is maintained by the Peripheral Component Interface Special Interest Group ("PCISIG") in Portland, Oregon. More details can be found at http://www.pcisig.com. PCI version 2.1 typically signals using a 66 MHz clock rate and a 5 bit 32 bit wide data signal. Other versions of PCI using a 133 MHz clock rate and / or a 64-bit wide data signal are also available. In contrast, the clock rate used when sending data signals, ie, the “speed” of the CPU bus 52, may be much higher, such as 800 MHz or higher. This will be clear.

  One or more SDRMA units 66 may store various data and items such as game console software executed by the CPU 50. Although commonly known, such gaming machine software generally provides a game and allows it to be played on the gaming machine. The SDRAM 66 can communicate with the CPU indirectly through the north bridge 60 and can communicate with the north bridge directly through the memory bus 68 or other similar communication link. As is generally known in the art, such a memory bus is relatively fast and can operate, for example, at a clock rate of 800 MHz or higher. The SDRAM 66 is the primary storage form used by game machines for high speed data storage and processing during normal game machine operation. The SDRAM 66 is also relatively fast, but is generally in the form of volatile memory, and therefore usually when a game console is newly started or reset, such as a relatively slow hard drive 72 or CD-ROM 73, for example. It will also be readily appreciated that it must be refreshed or restored, such as by loading software from a source that is more stable.

  Also, the North Bridge 60 preferably connects through a PCI bus 69 to a wide variety of gaming machine components, peripherals, and additional memory hubs. Keyboards, printers, audio components, video components, touch screens, player tracking units, coin acceptors, bill approver devices, network components, etc. are all examples of devices that can communicate with the CPU 50 through the PCI bus 69. It is. Note that several specific PCI bus devices and component examples are shown and discussed below, but there are many more, and it is easy to recognize that these may be connected to the gaming machine's PCI bus. I will be. As an example, the audio controller 61 can send signals to one or more speakers or other sound projection devices 32, but can be connected to the PCI bus 69. The video controller 62 may also be so connected and can send signals to one or more displays connected to the gaming machine, such as the main display 26, to play games on the gaming machine. It is preferable that a game result can be presented to a player who is playing. Video controller 62 may be implemented as part of a video card that includes video memory and a separate video processor. Using the CPU 50, audio controller 61, and video controller 62, high quality graphics, sound and multimedia presentations can also be presented as part of game play, achievements or other presentations.

  The tell tail board 63 is configured to detect and record various events when the main power to the game machine 10 is stopped or completely cut off, and is also connected to the PCI bus 69. Can do. Such an event can be recorded in NVRAM 167. NVRAM1 67 may be in some form of battery backup RAM or flash RAM, for example. As noted above, the tell-tail board 63 can be backed up by a battery, and in any case, receives power from at least a power source other than the main power source (not shown) of the game machine. Must be configured as follows. Such a sub-power supply is required when the tell-tale board is recording its important event information, which is its main function, while the main power supply is stopped or shut off. Also as previously noted, such recorded events may include, for example, the main door being opened, the banknote door being opened, and / or the card cage, among other things. That is, it can be a notification that the door of the “brain box” has been opened. The network controller 64 can communicate with one or more networks, including a casino's local area network (“LAN”) or wide area network (“WAN”), also on the PCI bus 69. Can be connected. Such a network controller 64 allows the game machine to communicate with devices that provide game services, such as accounting servers and wide area progressive servers, among other things. Become. The accounting server can call the game console for accounting information to be stored in a non-volatile memory device such as NVRAM2 81. The wide area progressive server can receive information stored in NVRAM 281, such as a bet made on a game machine, and can send information such as the amount of a progressive prize to be stored in NVRAM. A generic controller 65 is also shown connected to the PIC 69, such a controller representing a number of other controllers or devices that can be connected to the PCI bus. The controller 65 can be, for example, a player tracking unit, a keyboard, a ticket printer, a coin accepting device, a bill approving device, a coin hopper, or any of various inputs such as a touch screen or buttons.

  One or more additional information or memory hubs, such as south bridge 70, for example, can also be linked along PCI bus 69. The south bridge 70 can also be separately connected to one or more serial ports (not shown), such as various additional memory devices and banknote applicator ports. In one specific example, when a bill, printed ticket, or other acceptable credit indicia is accepted by the bill approver device, information regarding the nominal unit of the value of the bill or ticket or other indicia is serially Transfer to the South Bridge 70 using the Netplex interface. Netplex is an IGT company-specific protocol. Such a Netplex serial signal can then be converted by the South Bridge 70 into a PCI standard signal using a Netplex device driver. Other suitable non-company specific communication methods may be used, such as the RS-232 serial standard. Information transferred from the banknote approving device may be handled as sensitive game information, and a non-volatile memory storage device such as NVRAM 281 can be used.

  The south bridge 70 can incorporate various components, such as a hard drive controller 71, among others, such as hard drive 72, CD-ROM 73 and EPROM1 74, among others. A stable ROM storage device can be used to connect to the system. Some of these devices, such as hard drive 72 and CD-ROM 73, may be connected to south bridge 70 through an integrated drive electronics (“IDE”) bus 75 or other similar connection. As is known in the art, a typical IDE bus operates at a speed of about 100 MHz, which is nearly suitable for the access rate of many hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Other devices, such as EPROM1 74, can be connected to the South Bridge 70 through a basic industry standard architecture (“ISA”) bus 76. The ISA bus 76 can be relatively slow compared to other buses and connections. For example, a typical ISA bus can transmit data at a rate of about 8 MHz, which is suitable for EPROM and other similarly slow components. In many game consoles, the boot program used in the boot or resume process is an initial basic input / output system (“BIOS”) in the “BOOT1” position in EPROM1 74 and an extended BIOS in the “BOOT2” position in EPROM282. Thus, there are many cases in many positions. This is discussed in more detail below. Other components can also be connected to the South Bridge 70 by either a universal serial bus (“USB”) and / or a number of other suitable buses and connections. This will be easily recognized.

  Additional components and storage devices can also be connected to the PCI bus 69, such as through an FPGA 80 or other similar logic device or memory hub, as part of the game system expansion. The FPGA 80 can be, for example, a model number XC3S50 FPGA manufactured by Xilinx, Inc. of San Jose, California. Alternatively, such a game system extension may be another PCI interface device, such as a PLX 9050 manufactured by PLX Technology of Sunnyvale, California. Of course, any other suitable device can be used as a game system extension. This FPGA 80 or other gaming system extension can include various serial connections, inter alia communicating with various devices such as player tracking units, wide area progressive systems, and casino area networks. enable. The memory units that connect to the PCI bus 69 through the FPGA 80 or other similar extensions include, for example, battery backup RAM or other non-volatile memory unit NVRAM2 81, boot related memory unit EPROM2 82, and A “black box” EEPROM 83 for storing data and other gaming machine specific information may be included. Of course, many FPGAs or other similar expansion devices could be connected to the PCI bus 69, but only one is shown here for purposes of simplicity and discussion.

  One use of battery backup RAM or other non-volatile NVRAM2 81 is to save the game history or state of the gaming machine, as noted above. Such a gaming machine history or state, as noted above, may include many details and data items regarding information from the game presentation and / or outcome, and the series of items used in the game outcome or presentation. Contains one or more frames from a frame. Such frames can be copied to NVRAM2 81 from a frame buffer that resides in the video controller 62 or elsewhere in the gaming machine. Thus, NVRAM2 81 is a “safe memory” device for game console 10 and can be connected to PCI bus 69 for a number of reasons. One is that the PCI bus 69 allows a relatively fast connection (eg, 66 or 133 MHz) from the NVRAM 81 to the CPU 50 (through the FPGA 80, the North Bridge 60, and the high speed CPU bus 52). Such high speed connections are important because in state-based transaction systems, the software typically does not advance to the next state until the current state is executed or restored. The execution of each state involves a number of access requests to NVRAM2 81, and the access rate for this device usually affects the performance of the gaming machine or system as a whole. Although a faster connection than the PCI bus 69 may be desirable, the speed of this bus is often the same as the speed of many typical battery backup RAM devices, which speeds up the bus when used with NVRAM2 81. However, no significant advantage can be obtained.

  Other reasons for using the PCI bus with NVRAM2 81 or other battery backup RAM can include the fact that no data caching is normally done on the PCI bus. This is an important mechanism when backing up sensitive data. It is also because of the interchangeability of items on the PCI bus and the ability to withstand changes on the main processor board, such as CPU replacement. This provides flexibility in replacing components of various gaming machines without having to make any corresponding changes to NVRAM2 81 for compatibility. A safe storage component of a game machine such as NVRAM2 81 is preferably relatively large considering its indispensable function of backing up the state in the game machine. Inclusion or use of such large non-volatile memory is not typically done with standard components on a PC, and at least in this regard, the PC is distinct from a gaming console. Further details of safe storage in NVRAM devices can be found in Stockdale, et al entitled "High Performance Battery Backed RAM Interface", previously assigned to the same assignee as the present application. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,763. The contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

  One use of a once writable ROM, such as EPROM2 82, can be for storage of the essential extended BIOS ("BOOT2"), as noted above. In a typical boot up or reset process, the gaming machine is first directed to an initial BIOS program stored in BOOT1 in EPROM1 74 connected to south bridge 70. Once this is booted and executed, the logic within BOOT1 directs the game console to an extended BIOS program that can be stored in BOOT2 within EPROM 282 that is even connected to FPGA 80. As will be readily appreciated, both of these processes can involve various boot, load, decryption, authentication, and verification processes, and any of a number of suitable encryption techniques can be used between these processes. Can be used. For example, public key cryptography may require a combination of a private key that is known only to one host device and a public key that is provided to any other device that wishes to communicate securely with the host device. . The sending device encrypts the document using the public key from the receiving side and its own private key. The receiving device decrypts the encrypted document using the public key (provided by the other device) and its own private key. It is also possible to authenticate the file using a digital signature or digital certificate created with the private key on the sending side. Such a digital certificate allows the receiving side to confirm the identity of the sending side. This is generally known in the art. Further details regarding methods and systems for encryption, hashing, and other authentication tools in game consoles can be found in, for example, US Pat. No. 6,106,396, 6,149,522, and 6,620,047, and US Patent Publication No. 2004/000281. All these contents are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes.

  A “black box” non-volatile RAM device, such as EEPROM 83, can be used to store data specific to an external cabinet or physical terminal of a game console or system. Such data includes, among other things, meter data based on cabinets or terminals as a whole, backup data or codes for other gaming machines or system components, and / or country designations, accounting units, machine yields. It may be other game machine or terminal specific information such as data, progressive prize data, volume setting value, and configuration data of the entire game machine. The need for such an EEPROM or other similar storage device arises because of game regulation, because the game operator wants to track the entire data about the machine enclosure or physical terminal, or both Because. Thus, this “black box” EEPROM 83 can be placed on the back board of the game console, even if the main processor board or “brain box” and / or components associated therewith are replaced, To remain together. As is generally known, a “brain box” is typically a sheet metal enclosure inside a gaming machine that includes a number of essential components such as MGC or CPU, as well as RAM, NVRAM, It is configured to accommodate various memory devices, such as drives and other such components. The brain box can be locked and, in some cases, the entire unit can be removed from the game console. In that case, the EEPROM 83 may interface with a new “brain box” and / or another newly implemented component. This will be easily recognized.

  Referring again to FIG. 2, the designation for the item that is primarily associated with the main processor board or “brain box” and normally removed from the gaming machine when the brain box is replaced is the brain box. It is shown as being within region 40. Conversely, game machine items that are primarily linked to the external enclosure of the game console and remain with the external enclosure even when the main processor board is replaced are shown as being in the back board area 41. As shown in the figure, the main processor board is usually replaced by the CPU 50, its cache 51, the north bridge 60, the SDRAM 66, the south bridge 70, the hard drive 72, the CD-ROM 73, the EPROM1 74, the FPGA 80, the NVRAM2 81, It involves the replacement of EPROM 2 82 and possibly one or more other components such as generic controller 65. Among the various items that always remain with the cabinet or external enclosure during the replacement of the brain box are the “black box” EEPROM 83, and the audio controller 61 and speaker 32, video controller 62 and main display 26, A tail board 63 and NVRAM 1 67 associated therewith, and a network controller 64 may be included.

  Proceeding to FIG. 3, there is shown a flowchart of an example of a method for starting or rebooting the game machine of FIGS. Note that not every step provided in such a boot or reboot process is required, other steps may be included, and the order of the steps may be rearranged as desired for a given application. It goes without saying. After start step 90, process step 91 retrieves the first set of instructions from the main BIOS. Such a main BIOS can be found in the BOOT1 code in the EPROM1 74 of the gaming machine 10. This main BIOS is then executed in a subsequent process step 92, and then in process step 93, a copy of at least a portion of the main BIOS is created in a high speed memory location, such as the SDRAM 66 of the gaming machine 10. . In process step 94, the operating system of the game machine is started, and then in step 95, the appropriate driver and authentication device are started. Authentication of various components such as hard drives and CD-ROMs is performed in process step 96. In process step 97, the game application is installed and activated, and then the boot process ends in end step 98.

Many conventional writable memory devices, such as MRAM devices SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, NVRAM, flash RAM, EEPROM, etc., have one or more drawbacks and are therefore not ideal. For example, an SRAM has a characteristic that the access time is short, but is a volatile low-density memory, and its storage is lost in the event of a power failure. DRAM is similar in that it is relatively fast but volatile, and always requires power for memory refresh. In addition, the flash RAM and EEPROM are certainly non-volatile, but they both have low density and long access times. In addition, to write to flash RAM, the required voltage level is usually high and EEPROM usually requires a dedicated software driver. Conversely, magnetoresistive random access memory (ie, MRAM) is an alternative to memory storage that is non-volatile, dense, requires no refresh, can be written at low voltage, and is dedicated No software driver is required, the access time is relatively short, and in some cases may be comparable to SRAM speed.

  For many of the game console issues and memory devices noted above, MRAM is much faster than flash RAM, EEPROM, or EPROM, and is almost as fast as volatile RAM. Therefore, if the MRAM is used instead of the most typical boot storage device, the amount of time required to start or reboot the game machine can be greatly reduced. Also, the MRAM is non-volatile and does not require a battery or other power source, which is advantageous over any other NVRAM. Also, there is no need to use a special driver, which is advantageous over any memory device that requires it. MRAM has various advantages over DRAM. This is because it is non-volatile and does not always need to be refreshed, and at least as fast as DRAM. MRAM is faster than any other form of NVRAM, so if MRAM is used as a secure storage device, narrow the window where data can be lost before backing up the data to secure storage or Eliminate. Also, MRAM is particularly reliable because it retains its data for a long period of time without any power. This is because it uses the magnetic principle rather than power to store data.

  MRAM is a relatively new technology and usually involves a cell-type storage device based on a transistor and a magnetic tunnel junction (“MTJ”) structure. As is generally known in the art, an MTJ structure can be composed of an insulating layer sandwiched between two magnetic electrodes. One electrode is a pinned ferromagnetic layer that forms a strong pinning field to hold the magnetic polarization of the layer in a particular given direction. The other electrode is another ferromagnetic layer, and its magnetic polarization can be rotated and held in a plurality of directions, preferably in two magnetically opposed directions. When the pinned electrode and the rotatable electrode have the same polarization, the MTJ cell is in a low resistance state, and when the electrode has an opposite or substantially different polarization, the MTJ cell is in a high resistance state. The current can then “dive through” from one magnetic layer to the other through the insulator, thereby detecting the resistance state of a given MTJ cell. Various details regarding the MTJ structure and MRAM in general are found in many references, for example, US Pat. Nos. 5,173,873, 5,640,343, and 6,744,662, among others. Can be found. The entire contents thereof are included in the present application by quoting here. It can also be found on various web site pages of several MRAM development companies, such as www / freescale.com and www.research.ibm.com.

  Specific examples of MRAM storage devices that can be used in game consoles or systems include the MR2A16A model 4 Mb MRAM unit currently offered by Freescale Semiconductor Inc. in Austin, Texas, or 16 Mb MRAM recently announced by Infineon Technologies AG in Munich, Germany. Units can be included. Other development companies that have produced or are expected to make commercially available MRAM units include IBM, Armonk, New York, Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto, California, Motorola, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Includes Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose, California. Specifically, it is envisioned that any other MRAM unit manufactured by any supplier, if appropriate, can be used in the gaming machine or system under the present invention disclosed herein. . In fact, it is envisioned that any form of MRAM can be used for replacement with any other form of memory in an electronic game machine or system. Such one or more exchanges may in some cases significantly reconfigure the gaming machine architecture. This will be described in more detail below.

Special Game Device Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown a block diagram of an example of a partial hardware architecture of a special game machine having a magnetoresistive storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention. . The gaming machine 100 is similar in appearance to the gaming machine 10 and includes a top box, a main cabinet, a main display 126, a speaker 132, and various other that can be the same as or similar to those found on the gaming machine 10. It has a component. Other components may be the same or similar, among others, audio controller 161, video controller 162, network controller 164, generic controller 165, CPU 150 and its built-in cache 151, CPU bus 152. , Memory bus 168, and PCI bus 169. However, there are some major differences between game machines, particularly the use of MRAM and MROM units in the special game machine 100 and the deletion of several other devices.

  As shown in FIG. 4, instead of using an SDRAM or DRAM memory block near the CPU 150, a magnetoresistive memory block is used. That is, the MROM 166a and MRAM1 166b communicate with the CPU 150 indirectly through the first or main memory hub MH1 160. Such a memory hub can be similar to the North Bridge 60 of the gaming device 10 or any other suitable device configured to facilitate communication to the CPU 150. . For example, main memory hub 160 may be an ASIC configured to facilitate and control communication between CPU 150 and both MROM 166a and MRAM1 166b. Depending on the circumstances, such an ASIC can also be configured to control or prevent writing to the MROM 166a. This will be described in detail below. Such an ASIC can be, for example, an M1651 Northbridge product manufactured by ALi Corporation of Taipei, Taiwan. In some embodiments, MROM 166a and MRAM1 166b may be physically combined into one large memory unit or bank of memory units, the main difference between them being the units that make up the MROM Or it is impossible to write in a part thereof.

  Among the various standard gaming machine components not included in the special gaming machine 100, the CD-ROM, the read-only hard drive part, and the EPROM for storing the boot code are all replaced by the MROM 166a. On the other hand, the read / write hard drive part and the battery backup safe storage device NVRAM2 are replaced by MRAM1 166b. Accordingly, at least a portion of MROM 166b can be referred to as a “BOOT” portion, while at least a portion of MRAM1 166b can be referred to as a secure storage “NVRAM” portion. Indeed, it is preferred that all of the MRAM 1 is a non-volatile random access memory. The actual devices that make up this MROM 166a and MRAM1 166b can be, for example, MR2A16A model 4Mb MRAM units manufactured by Freescale Semiconductor and / or a bank or array of 16Mb MRAM units recently announced by Infineon Technologies AG. Any other suitable MRAM or MROM unit can be used as well. In fact, any and all of the MROMs and MRAMs found in both the gaming machine 100 of FIG. 4 and the gaming machine 200 of FIG. 5 are similar in one or more of Freescale, Infineon, or other suitable MRAM devices. Can be configured. It is also worth noting that the internal CPU caches 151 and 251 of these gaming machines may also include some form of MRAM and / or MROM if such options become available due to future technology. Thus, it is specifically envisioned that such additional embodiments may also be used in the context of the present invention.

  Continuing further, it can be seen that the secondary memory hub MH2 180 essentially replaces the FPGA 80 of the gaming machine 10. Various items can be branched from the secondary memory hub 180, but the elements stored in the safety memory NVRAM2 81 and the boot EPROM2 81 of the game machine 10 must be transferred to the MRAM1 166b and the MROM 166a, respectively. Is preferred. A “black box” storage device that stores data specific to an external cabinet or physical terminal of a gaming machine or system in one item that can remain as a branch from secondary memory hub MH2 180. This is the same as the function executed by the EEPROM 83 of the game machine 10 discussed above. However, instead of using a slow EEPROM for such a function, such a black box storage device can be a higher order MRAM device, such as MRAM2 183 shown in FIG. As noted in the previous example, secondary or auxiliary data or computer code stored in a “black box” storage device, such as MRAM2 183, may be meter data, other game consoles or systems based on the entire cabinet or terminal. Backup data or codes for other components, and / or other games such as country designation, accounting naming units, machine yield data, progressive prize data, volume settings, and game console-wide configuration data, etc. It can be specific information of a machine or a terminal.

  Also, as noted in the previous example, a “black box” storage device, such as MRAM2 183, should also be associated with the backboard of the gaming machine and typically remain with the gaming machine cabinet. Is preferred. Also worth noting again, like the gaming machine 10, the various components of the gaming machine 100 can be associated with this backboard or the entire cabinet of the gaming machine, and these components generally represent the backboard area 141. It is included in. Similarly to the above-described example, the components that normally cooperate with the main processor board are generally included in the brain box area 140 of the game machine 100. As shown, such a design is generally included in the brain box area 140, and thus includes MRAM 166a and MRAM1 166b, in conjunction with the brain box or main processor board, while MRAM2 183. , The logging device 163 and the MRAM3 167 associated with this logging device are generally within the backboard area 141 and thus cooperate with the external enclosure or physical terminal of the gaming machine or system.

  The logging device 163 can be substantially similar to the tell-tail board 63 of the gaming machine 10, but the logging device 163 records information about a power outage or offline activity of the gaming machine. It is specifically contemplated that it may be a tell-tail board or any other device configured as described above. Unlike the gaming machine 10 described above, the gaming machine 100 provides a higher level storage device that works in conjunction with its tell-tail board or other suitable logging device 163. Such a storage device for recording offline activity data may also be an MRAM such as the illustrated MRAM3 167. As shown for the gaming machine 100, the logging storage component MRAM3 167 is a dedicated device, and the logging device 163 is a gaming machine component that must perform both writing and reading with this storage component. Other configurations are possible and will be described in more detail below.

  Turning now to FIG. 5, it shows a block diagram of another example of a partial hardware architecture of a special gaming machine having a magnetoresistive storage device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Game console 200 is similar in appearance to game consoles 10 and 100 and may be the same or similar to that found on top box, main cabinet, main display 226, speaker 232, and game console 10 or 100. It has various other components that can. The other components can also be the same or similar to those from game console 10 or 100, among others, audio controller 261, video controller 262, network controller 264, generic controller 265, CPU 250 and the like. A built-in cache 251, CPU bus 252, memory bus 268, and PCI bus 269 are included. In addition, several components can be the same as or similar to those of special game consoles, among others, the first or main memory hub MH1 260, main MROM1 266a, main MRAM1 266b, logging device 263, and There is a secondary MRAM2 267.

  However, unlike the gaming machine 100, the gaming machine 200 includes each of these devices in a manner similar to that performed by the hard drive 272, the CD-ROM 273, the secondary MROM2 274, and the south bridge 70 of the gaming machine 10. A secondary memory hub MH2 270 configured to link to the PCI bus 269 may also be included. Hard drive controller 271 and / or other similar items may reside on secondary memory hub 270 for such purposes. Of course, the hard drive 272 and the CD-ROM 273 can be connected also using the IDE bus 275 or other similar buses. The bus 276 to MROM2 274 can be an ISA bus as in the game machine 10, but a faster bus may be preferable because of an increase in MROM access speed. In order to take advantage of the increased access speed of the MROM, it may be desirable to place such a secondary MROM at a location that is easily accessible, for example, directly from the main memory hub MH1 260 or CPU 252. The configuration shown in FIG. 5 may be desirable if the functionality of the CD-ROM and / or conventional hard drive is preferred within a gaming machine in addition to one or more MROM devices.

  Another notable difference in the architecture of the gaming machine 200 is that other components can be accessed in the logging device storage unit MRAM2 267, such as through a separate connection to the main memory hub MH1 260 or through the memory hub. is there. Accordingly, the logging device MRAM2 267 can be a dual or multi-port memory configuration, with one port accessible to the logging device 263 at least for write access purposes and another port. Can access the CPU 250 (ie, MGC) or other security-type device for at least read access purposes. Under such a configuration, the CPU reads the data from the logging device memory unit MRAM2 267 immediately after the power to the game machine is restored, and asks the logging device 263 for such data without inquiring. It can be configured as well. Yet another notable difference is that there are no storage devices mounted in a separate “black box” external enclosure. Instead, typically such items can be stored in the destination portion of MRAM2 267. That is, one part of MRAM2 267 can be used to record the details of a power outage activity, such as that performed on a tell tail board, while another part of MRAM2 267 has been described in detail above. As such, it can be used to record data or codes based on the external enclosure, such as absolute meter data and other items.

  An example of a specific special gaming machine architecture is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for illustrative purposes, but many other configurations and embodiments utilizing MROM and / or MRAM as a gaming device storage device are also possible. It will be readily appreciated that it can be used. The present invention specifically contemplates any and all such configurations and embodiments that include MROM and / or MRAM as a storage device in a gaming machine. 4 and 5 are both special game machines in the sense that they include MROM and / or MRAM storage devices, but a wide variety of devices may be used in the present invention disclosed herein. It will be readily appreciated that it can be used with the apparatus, system and method. Such other device may be a special gaming device having a display, and any other device that can be implemented using an MROM or MRAM device as disclosed and described in detail herein. You can also Of course, other such applications may be used with the system and method of the present invention disclosed herein, but for purposes of this disclosure, this section focuses on examples involving actual gaming machines. I will continue.

  Referring again to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the game machines 100, 200 in both figures are in the form of a main MROM (166a or 266a) and main (MRAM 166b or 266b) for normal use by the CPUs 150 and 250. Built-in code and data storage. As noted above, the various boot programs and codes are typically stored in some form of ROM, such as the EPROM of game machine 10. An example of such a code is an authentication code, but it will be readily appreciated that there can be many other types of boot code and programs. Under such a configuration, for practical purposes, the boot program and code stored in the EPROM are loaded into a much faster DRAM, SDRAM, or similar storage device and the code is used to play the game. Perform another action of the machine. Previous boot procedures from such EPROMs can be particularly slow because very large image sizes and / or other large files are included as part of the transfer process during startup, which can be a bottleneck in the startup process. It may become.

  However, in the special game consoles 100 and 200, all such boot programs and codes can be stored in the MROMs 166a and 266a which are easily available at high speed, and these programs and codes are stored in another memory location or storage. No need to copy to device. In a boot or other start-up procedure, the gaming machine can simply run programs and code from their original storage location and does not make a copy of the program or code. In addition, since both the basic BIOS and the extended BIOS can be stored together in two locations in the MROM, there is no need for the basic BIOS to authenticate the extended BIOS. In this manner, various CRCs, checksums, authentication, and other important traditional boot procedures can be eliminated by using MROM. That is, such a configuration is much more efficient in the sense that it saves a significant amount of time and process steps required for the boot process and reduces the number of devices required.

  As noted above, MRAM and / or MROM stores game machine configuration data, history calls, graphics and display data, downloadable games, and many other RAM uses and functions, etc. It can also be used for the functions of many other game machines. MRAM and / or MROM can be used to quickly update a gaming machine and / or its peripherals, and thus can be included separately from one or more peripherals or other devices, if desired. . Peripherals and other devices that may have one or more separate dedicated or internally mounted MRAM or MROM units include, for example, bill acceptors, spectrum controllers, touch screen controllers, lights, among others・ Bezel, ticket printer, bonus top box, bonusing top box, card reader, candle, coin acceptor, smart hopper, player tracking device, video card, sound card, PC BIOS Or it can include expanded BIOS, FPGA, solid state mass storage, and any remaining EEPROM. By replacing various RAMs, battery backup RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs and / or other memory or storage devices in the game machine and its various peripherals with MRAM, the game machine is further improved in reliability and development It becomes easy. As cited above, one of the mechanisms that is possible with the extensive use of MRAM is the “instant on” function of the gaming machine, which loads programs and code, and for the normal operation of the gaming machine. The need to reload programs and code into a high-speed storage device is almost eliminated.

  In embodiments where a large amount of MRAM is used to store configuration data for the entire operating system, game applications, and / or all peripherals, the gaming machine is initially turned on in less than a few seconds, It is possible to start up and operate. Of course, some transactional programming, such as when using a flag to indicate that a transaction has been processed, may be used for MRAM when a secure memory restore may be needed simply for security purposes. It may still be desirable to hold it on a heavily used gaming machine. Other uses of MROM and MRAM in game consoles or systems will also be readily apparent from the many descriptions and examples provided herein, and such other readily apparent uses are included in the present invention. This is specifically assumed. For example, the wide use of MROM and MRAM devices to replace many or all of the previous storage devices in game consoles and their peripheral devices can result in improved implemented bus structures and promote unification. . For example, if necessary, other slow buses, such as a PCI bus, may be maintained to accommodate peripherals that require such buses, but many other buses may be replaced and / or Or, if combined, a high-speed memory bus with a reduced number can be obtained. This will be easily recognized. Variations that can be configured, such as the reduction of the bus in the gaming machine 100 and the installation of at least one extra improved memory bus in the gaming machine 200, can also be considered in the example of the special gaming machine shown here.

  In the case of MROM, special concerns may arise regarding the potential for writing and overwriting in such devices. This is because MRAM is now usually a random access storage device by nature. Therefore, in order to use the MRAM device instead of the ROM device, it is necessary to pay special attention to the writing function of the MRAM. Existing MRAM can make at least part of it, or the entire device, unwritable and unmodifiable by any of a number of techniques, thereby making the MRAM a read-only or "MROM" device. be able to. While the game machine's operating computer code is preferably stored in MRAM, some techniques may involve physical termination of or to the MRAM write connection. In one embodiment, physical hardware jumpers or keys can be used to write to the implemented MRAM device. Without such a jumper or key, any writing operation to the MRAM device cannot be performed. In another embodiment, a special write protection circuit may be provided in the game console or system to detect when a write operation is about to be performed and, if necessary, reset or “tilt” in the game console or system. ) Can be started. In yet another embodiment, one or more light pins on the MRAM may need to be physically disconnected, or otherwise the wiring inside the game console or peripheral device may need to be disconnected and reprogrammed. At any time, the MRAM device may need to be removed. In such an embodiment, for example, the MRAM can be removably inserted into a PCB socket inside the game machine so that its write pin is not properly connected to any writing device through the socket. In yet another embodiment, the internal fuse of the MRAM can be blown so that the device is no longer writable or changeable.

  Under other possible techniques, the memory hub or other control device can be configured to control and / or inhibit any possible writes and changes to the MRAM by the monitoring or control device. Such devices are programmed to always hold the write line to, for example, an ASIC, FPGA, or MRAM or any portion thereof that is desired to be non-writable in a high state or other "off" position. Other similar devices that can be used. In one embodiment, the encryption layer may be provided in the control ASIC, FPGA or other memory hub device to prevent or prohibit tampering with the control device. It should be noted that the physical changes and other techniques described above can be used to make an MRAM device like an MROM in a physical sense, but in a practical sense, effectively make an MRAM device like an MROM device. In order to do so, any write control technique can be used, and with such a technique it is easy to be able to result in an MROM device for a gaming machine, such as MROM 166a and 266a in the previous example. Will be recognized.

  In some embodiments, the MROM and / or MRAM may be mounted on a removable and replaceable memory card or blade, and the various slots or ports on such card or blade may be If necessary, it is installed inside the game machine or system. In such cases, it may be preferable to burn the entire game application onto an MRAM or MROM memory card or blade and then exchange these cards or blades between the various gaming machines as desired. In this sense, various game application cards or blades can be used like “cartridges”, such as those used in some video game systems. Such application of MROM and / or MRAM can increase the flexibility for some game operators in the form of a game machine that can easily change the game according to changes in conditions.

  Next, moving to the logging devices 163, 263 and their associated MRAM storage devices 167, 267 of FIGS. 4 and 5, again, the MRAM will at least allow the MRAM to be written at a low power level, and Note that it is a high-level form of memory storage for recording details of power outages or shut-off activities in game consoles so that it can do so without requiring any power to hold its memory. . Thus, for example, the life of any auxiliary power to a logging device, such as a battery or network cable, can be significantly extended. Note also that because of such power conservation in the use of MRAM devices, more than one typical two or more details regarding offline activity can be recorded. For example, the battery backup logging device 63 of the game machine 10 typically records whether the main door was left open during a power outage and / or whether the brain box door was left open. It is only possible and no other details can be recorded. This is because NVRAM 1 67 of game machine 10 requires too much power to write normal data and even to retain that data. Conversely, the battery backup logging device 163 of the gaming machine 100 can write data about many details of such events to the MRAM3 167 at a low voltage and retains the data thus written. In order not to need power.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the logging device 163 of the game machine 100 has its own dedicated MRAM unit MRAM3 167. In such a specific embodiment, the logging device 163 monitors various offline activities in multiple gaming machine components when it detects that main power to the gaming machine has been lost or significantly reduced. You can start. The activities that can be monitored and the details that can be recorded later include, for example, main doors, brain box doors, bill drop doors, banknote approving devices, banknote dispensing. It can include activities that occur on devices, coin hoppers, coin acceptors, ticket printers, touch screens, bezels, spectrum controllers, player tracking devices, and game reels. Such details can include date, time, duration, appearance, and other related details as appropriate, as well as doors opened, areas intruded, and the like. In any case, the number of details that can be recorded for such off-line activity preferably exceeds the limited two or three details capacity of a typical prior logging device.

  The logging device can be queried to provide any stored data regarding the details of the offline activity when power to the gaming machine is later restored. Such an inquiry can be made from an MGC such as CPU 150, or any other security device that burdens offline activity, such as a network or system processor or monitoring component. Such inquiries can be made along any appropriate bus or communication device and any suitable format such as CAN, USB, Netplex, etc., to transfer data. it can. When it is determined that an off-line activity has occurred, such as opening the main door or the brain box door, an appropriate action can be taken. Such treatment may involve notification to the casino operator, safety officer, and / or law enforcement authorities as appropriate.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, logging device 263 connects to storage device MRAM2 267, which is a multi-port device, and allows other devices other than the logging device to access the MRAM for its data. It is also possible. In addition, as noted above, such storage devices are probably for meters or data based on cabinets or external enclosures other than storing data about offline gaming machine activities or events, etc. It may be used for other purposes. As shown in FIG. 5, one example of storage device MRAM2 267 is a dual port device, one port connected to logging device 263 and the other port connected to a memory bus or other suitable connection. To the main memory hub MH1 260. Preferably, the logging device 263 is configured to access the MRAM2 267 to write to at least the main power from the main power source to the gaming machine, while the memory hub MH1 260 is When power of the main game machine is restored, it is configured to access MRAM2 267 to read at least it and transfer it to CPU 250.

  In any of the foregoing embodiments, the logging device (163 or 263) can be configured as an “instant on device” so that when no offline activity takes place A low or zero level of power is supplied to the logging device from a secondary power source (eg, a battery), but the power to the device is gradually increased when such activity or event is detected. In such an embodiment, one or more monitoring circuits are implemented in the gaming machine, repeated in the circuit using a small amount of power, and any circuit interruption (i.e., when the door is opened (i.e., Activity) can also be detected. Such a monitoring circuit can be configured to monitor various activities and events of interest while main power to the gaming machine is stopped and during normal maximum power periods. For example, it may be desirable to monitor the main door of a gaming machine and detect it whenever it is open, regardless of whether the main power is on. In this case, the monitoring circuit can be designed to detect such occurrences at any time. In addition, details regarding any of these activities can be recorded regardless of whether power is present. Again, a major advantage of the currently offered systems is that more power can be recorded for various offline or power outage activities and events because the MRAM device requires less power.

  In an alternative embodiment not shown, multiple gaming device peripherals or devices each have separate dedicated logging and storage devices and are configured to perform power outage or offline activity logging at each device. Has been. Such “smart” peripherals or devices are thereby configured to record their own activity history in their own storage device during periods of low or no power to the gaming machine. The storage device in each such “smart” peripheral is preferably an MRAM device similar to that shown above. This is because again, such devices can be configured to store more data reliably and with lower levels of power consumption. In such an embodiment, if multiple smart devices or peripherals each have their own separate storage device for offline events, once the gaming machine power is restored through its main power source, a separate Each logging device is preferably configured to transfer any relevant data regarding the details of the offline activity to the appropriate CPU or other security device. In another alternative embodiment, such other security devices or elements such as network processors that continue to be powered while main power to the affected gaming machine remains off are thus It may even be desirable to transfer sensitive information. This alternative of reporting to an external source even during a power outage applies to any logging device embodiment, including the embodiments shown in FIGS. be able to.

  Now, returning the focus of the description to the main MRAM1 devices 166b, 266b of FIGS. 4 and 5, the entire previous safe memory process of the gaming machine or system is extinguished or at least significantly reduced by the use of such MRAM devices. Note that this can be simplified. The main reason is that these MRAM devices are fast and non-volatile, so the game machine's MGC or CPU is used for normal game machine operation, and the game machine is substantially powered off. This is because it can serve a dual purpose as a safety storage device for promoting the state restoration of the game machine. In this regard, at least a portion of such newly implemented MRAM can be used to individually replace both DRAM and NVRAM in the normal gaming machine architecture for game device 10 as shown in FIG. . As already noted, some of the many efficiencies gained in such an embodiment include a reduction in the number and type of components used, a faster overall process, and a program to speed up use in normal operation. Or a reduction or elimination of copying a portion of the code to an alternate location.

  Another important efficiency that can be achieved under the devices and systems provided is that it is not necessary to prioritize which items are recorded in the secure storage. Under any conventional safe storage process, any backup RAM or other non-volatile storage device that is configured to retain data in the event of a power strike to the gaming machine or other substantial power interruption will always occur There was concern over battery life regarding what to record, if any. Therefore, the amount of data that can potentially be stored in such a battery backup RAM for a long period of time is limited, so it is stored in a limited battery backup RAM at any given time. Usually it was necessary to prioritize the data. However, the use of MRAM prevents such concerns. This is because the MRAM can store any amount of data indefinitely without using any battery or other secondary power source. Thus, the secure memory for a given game console can be increased to a much higher level than the typical 4 megabytes currently used. Such an increase in safe storage memory can be increased to a size of 512 megabytes or more, for example, if desired. In some cases, the entire MRAM1 166b, 266b may be considered a secure storage device. This is because the data contained therein is not lost indefinitely during a power outage or outage.

  Also worthy of note is that, as mentioned above, the heavy use of MRAM and MROM in a game machine is also for many devices that are external or peripheral from the center of the game machine. If such a peripheral or other device is configured to include a separate MRAM of the situation as a dedicated and / or internal storage unit, such peripheral or other device powers the gaming machine It is likely that you no longer need to configure your environment every time or every reboot. Examples of peripherals and devices that are likely to be advantageous include banknote authenticators, coin acceptors, video cards, CVTs, eKeys, various USB peripherals, dongles, host systems, And many others will be readily recognized. In addition, in some cases, it may still be desirable to provide backups to various MRAM storage devices, particularly where there may be concerns about corrosion or physical damage problems. In that case, the secondary backup may be small. In response to such concerns, such backup devices may be placed at different locations on the gaming machine and the main MRAM component, such as MRAM1 166b or 266b, due to projectile, fire, or other physical damage reasons If any damage occurs, the backup MRAM at another location may be accessed. Such a backup MRMA can also include, for example, a part of the MRAM2 267 attached to the cabinet or the external casing of the game machine 200.

  As noted above, if an “instant on” feature can be enabled for a gaming machine through MRAM, the memory image of any newly loaded game application is separately stored in the secondary backup MRAM. It may be desirable to back up this by storing it. By copying the memory image to the seed MRAM, the game can be restored or loaded very quickly when such a case is required. Memory images for each game can also be stored in the secondary backup MRAM as part of the mounting package if desired. This way, any game that the operator allows and can be selected by the player can load its memory image into this sub-MRAM, and then quickly access and copy the seed MRAM if a game change is desired. . In one particularly advantageous embodiment of such an arrangement, a library of dozens or hundreds of game applications can be included and stored in a large bank of secondary MRAM devices within a given game console. Such large game libraries can then be made available upon request by the player, and the appropriate configuration within a given gaming machine can be accessed continuously during future game play. As can be done, speeding up access of these many different games loaded into the main MRAM can be facilitated.

  Another consideration is the need to implement a “file system” or special RAM drive to determine the location of a particular amount of data stored in MRAM memory, such as after recovery from a power failure It can be. Such a file system is not normally necessary and used in a conventional electronic game machine. However, when a large-capacity MRAM is installed to replace many conventional memory components, such a file system is used. May be required. This file system may be implemented in the MRAM itself, or it may be implemented in one or more other types of storage devices such as EERPM, as various situations warrant.

  In addition, as already noted, MRAM can be used in place of “black box” EEPROM. The “Black Box” EEPROM has traditionally functioned as the ultimate backup memory and remained with the gaming machine cabinet or external housing even when replacing other components. Such sub-MRAM or auxiliary MRAM can be, for example, MRAM2 183 of game machine 100 or MRAM2 267 of game machine 200, but other configurations are certainly possible. Among other mechanisms, the secondary MRAM installed in this cabinet can function as an NVRAM backup (ie, a backup of MRAM1 166b or MRAM1 226b), for example, every 10 games, 100 games, or 1000 games. As described above, it can be configured to periodically record “snapshots” of meters of all game machines. Of course, other periodic intervals can be set, and it may be desirable for the secondary MRAM to record a backup “snapshot” of all meter or other gaming machine data after each game play. Is possible.

Method of Operation In general, by using the above-described components and architecture, it is possible to create a special game machine and system configured to function by increasing capacity, increasing speed, and improving functionality. As detailed above, this can be accomplished by implementing one or more MRAM or MROM storage devices in a game console or system, such devices having one or more inferior attributes. It can be a substitute for an existing storage device. In addition, various other gaming machine architecture components can be used for various specific cases, such as EERPOM, EPROM, DRAM, SDRAM, battery backup RAM, hard drive, CD-ROM, South Bridge. , FPGAs, and / or other types of storage devices and architecture components, can be rebuilt or eliminated in bulk. Here are some examples of how the game machine or system with MRAM operates or uses. The flowcharts presented and the accompanying discussion are considered comprehensive in some respects, but not every step presented is necessary and may include other steps, the order of the steps being desired for a given application. It will be readily understood that the sorts may be rearranged depending on the situation.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an example of the operation method of the special game machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, this method of operation includes booting up the game console or system software without copying a significant portion of the boot code to a high speed memory location. In other words, the original read-only location where the game machine or system boot code is stored is when access to that code is required for a later boot process or normal game machine operation. , A position used repeatedly. This can be made possible by the use of an upper read-only storage device such as MROM as described above. Because MROM can hold its memory, cannot be overwritten, and is fast enough that it can be used repeatedly in normal game console operation (ie as if it were DRAM). is there.

  After start step 300, the game machine is powered on or reset in process step 302 to initiate the boot or reboot process. Besides general power-on, for example, there are various reset states such as power outage, large electrostatic discharge, fatal hardware malfunction, fatal software malfunction, game console tilt, etc. , And those caused by physical damage to essential gaming machine components. In a subsequent process step 304, the stored boot code is detected at the original storage location. This can be, for example, MROM 166a of game machine 100 in FIG. 4 or MROM1 266a of game machine 200 in FIG. 5, among other possibilities. The stored boot code is then authenticated and read in subsequent process steps 306 and 308. Of course, the order of these steps may be reversed if desired. In addition, a copy of the stored boot code can be made for authentication purposes, in which case authentication with such a copy can be performed anywhere in the gaming machine or system. it can. As a result, parallel processing with the boot code can be promoted at least when authentication is performed while the boot process is executed from the original storage location. This will be readily appreciated. With respect to process step 308, the stored boot code is preferably read at a rate faster than 8 MHz. This is a typical rate for reading the boot code from the EPROM. Of course, higher speeds than 33, 66 or 133 MHz are possible if the storage device is an MROM or other similar high speed device and the bus used does not limit the data transfer rate. In an ideal situation, it is only necessary to be able to achieve speeds of 800 MHz or higher where MROM and high speed memory buses are used.

  The next process step 310 then performs one or more boot processes based solely on reading the boot code stored in its original location, and then the method ends at an end step 312. . Such a boot process is preferably performed without making a copy of the stored code on any other storage device, for the purpose of time-shifting the boot process, As noted, it may be desirable to make a copy for authentication purposes. In some embodiments, the stored code may be boot code and / or other game machine program or process code. Other codes include, among other things, the boot loader, boot process, initialization process, authentication process, configuration process, diagnostic process, operating system, and individual game application code. If the stored code is other than the boot code, process step 310 simply determines that one or more regular gaming consoles are based on reading the stored code from its original location. It is also possible to perform only the operation. Such normal game machine operations include, for example, changing the meter, displaying the meter, processing the game selection, processing the game play, and the like, among other things. Determining game outcomes, determining completed game outcomes, displaying games, giving coin outs, giving cashless instrument outs, and calculating machine yields Performing information, displaying information, and performing data communication.

  Turning now to FIG. 7, there is shown a flowchart of another example of a method for operating a special game machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. That is, the method of operation includes recording the history of various important details regarding activity at the gaming machine while the main power to the gaming machine is interrupted or interrupted. As noted above, to do this, use a tell-tail board or other similar device, such as logging device 163 of gaming machine 100 or logging device 263 of gaming machine 200, for example. Can do. Of course, as noted above for use with logging devices 163, 263, it is preferred to use such logging devices, such as one or more MRAM devices, with such logging devices. Thus, the storage device for recording the details of the power outage activity requires less power for writing than the storage device for the tell-tail board 63 of the game machine 10 and requires power to hold the memory. Instead, it has a larger capacity than the storage device of the tell tail board 63 of the game machine 10.

  After the start step 400, in process step 402, there is a period of low or no power from the main power source to the gaming machine (ie, a power outage period). Such an improper level of power may be the result of a power outage or reduction, a gaming machine tilt or malfunction, or simply turning off the gaming machine for any reason. In process step 404, power is supplied to the logging device from the secondary power source. The secondary power source can be a battery, a network cable, or some other alternative power source. Again, this sub-power source is powered so that the logging device can perform various activities offline while the main power source fails. In a subsequent process step 406, a logging device or some other monitoring component monitors activity in the gaming machine while the main power is interrupted or interrupted. Such monitoring can be undertaken at low power levels, such as by sending small currents through various monitoring circuits, as already noted. Activities that can be monitored (and details to be recorded later) include, for example, main doors, brain box doors, banknote doors, banknote authentication devices, banknote withdrawal machines, coin hoppers, coins, among others. It may include activities performed at the receiving device, ticket printer, touch screen, bezel, spectrum controller, player tracking device, and game reel.

  Then, in decision step 408, an inquiry is made as to whether activity has been detected in one of the components for which activity is to be recorded. If not, the process jumps to inquiry step 414. However, if activity is detected, the logging device power level can be increased in the next process step 410, if necessary. This increase in power is needed when the logging device is an “instant on” device and saves power when there is no activity while monitoring the related activity of the game console or system For this reason, it is conceivable that the low power “sleep” mode is maintained. Then, in process step 412, data about various details regarding the detected activity can be recorded. Such data is preferably recorded at a low voltage, such as about 4 volts or less, to conserve power. This is possible if data is stored in a low voltage non-volatile RAM such as MRAM. MRAM is typically capable of writing at a voltage lower than 4 volts, for example, about 2.7 to 3.6 volts. In some embodiments, data may be recorded to a specific multi-port storage device, such as MRAM2 267 of gaming machine 200 described above, thereby allowing both the logging device and MGC or other security components. Allows access to the device.

  If there is a possibility of detecting activity over a long period of time, an “instant-on” logging device may be used to return to sleep mode if new details are not noticed for some time. For example, if it detects that the main door is open, power on the instant-on logging device, record the date and time of occurrence, and a set time after the door opens (eg, 1 hour) Other extra detected activities such as manual repositioning of game reels or attempts to penetrate coin hoppers or other machine components can also be recorded. If the main door remains open but no extra activity details are detected for the set time, sleep mode can be resumed. As noted above, data relating to activity details is preferably recorded in large quantities, such as at least three details.

  Once data about one or more related activities has been recorded, then in step 414, an inquiry is made as to whether the power outage or reduction from the main power supply has subsided. If not, the method returns to process step 402 and then repeats steps 404-414 as before. However, if the power outage or decrement period has really ended, the method proceeds to process step 416 to establish an appropriate power level to the gaming machine by the main power source. Preferably, such a suitable power level by the mains power is sufficient to accept a wager, play a game, or give a refund based on the outcome of the game. Once the main power is restored, the recorded data can be communicated to the game console's MGC or some other security device to evaluate offline game machine activity, and the method ends at end step 420. . This data is preferably voltaged at a rate of 33 MHz or higher. This is possible if MRAM is used as a storage device.

  Proceeding further to FIG. 8, there is shown a different flowchart of yet another example of a method for operating a special game machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. That is, in this operation method, a storage device for use during normal game machine operation and a safety storage device for recording game machine state information at one storage device or position are provided. Fast access time is usually a major attribute for storage devices that are intended for normal game console operation, and non-volatile is typically a major attribute for storage devices that are intended for use as a secure storage device. Thus, any storage device used for both of these functions is preferably both high speed and non-volatile. As noted above, this can be accomplished by using one or more MRAM devices, such as MRAM1 166b of gaming machine 100 or MRAM1 266b of gaming machine 200. Both MRAM1 166b and MRAM1 266b can be any form of MRAM device.

  After start step 500, the occurrence of a fatal event affecting the state of the gaming machine or system is detected in process step 502. Such fatal events include, for example, coin insertion, banknote insertion, non-cash securities input, meter exchange, game selection, player input, partial game results, and finished game results. , Coin emissions, or non-cash securities emissions. In process step 504, the fatal event data is stored in a particular storage device, such as one of the MRAM devices noted above. For the purpose of illustration in this discussion, data relating to a fatal event that affects the state of the game machine is stored in the NVRAM portion of the MRAM 1 of the game machine 200 described above. In other words, MRAM1 266b is a specific storage device for this example. In a subsequent process step 506, the stored data is then read from the particular storage device. Then, in process step 508, the specific state of the game machine is determined based on the stored data, for example, such determination of the game state is performed on the display of the game machine or in the form of a refund or print ticket . Also, it will be readily appreciated that the order of steps 506 and 508 may be reversed if desired.

  In a subsequent process step 510, it is preferable to be able to perform normal gaming machine operations based on reading stored data from a particular storage device. In the illustrated example, the specific storage device is MRAM1 266b. Such normal game machine operations include, for example, meter exchange, meter display, game selection, game play, partial game results, finished game results, game display, coin discharge, among other things. It can include all or part of a wide variety of action items, such as non-cash securities emissions, machine yield calculation, information display, and data communication. It should be noted that many other events can be similarly categorized as normal gaming machine actions, and multiple previously listed items and / or other items can be executed simultaneously at any given time. It will be appreciated easily. In the gaming machine, a substantial interruption to normal gaming machine operation occurs at process step 512. Examples of such substantial interruptions include power outages, significant electrostatic discharge, game console resets, fatal hardware malfunctions, fatal software malfunctions, game console tilts, among others. , And physical damage to essential gaming machine components.

  The method then proceeds to process step 514 to preferably repair the substantial interruption by establishing a stable power input to the gaming machine and further establishing a stable communication within the gaming machine. Such an event can occur, for example, as part of a boot or reboot process. Alternatively, it may be desirable to perform this method without performing process step 514. It can be used if an external source is configured to read state-related data from a given safe storage device without powering on the game console or restoring communication, or such recovery is This is the case when it is considered unreliable. Removing step 514 is a manual intervention to retrieve data from the secure storage device, for example, if the state of the gaming machine lost in a catastrophic machine failure situation must be verified. It seems to be suitable when is needed.

  In any case, the method proceeds to process step 516 to re-read the stored data from the particular storage device. Again, the specific storage device is an MRAM1 266b unit in this specific example. Again, this same MRAM unit is both a storage device for normal game machine operation and a safety storage device for recording game machine state information when state restoration is required. Used for functions. After re-reading the stored data, at least a portion of the specific state of the gaming machine that was determined prior to the substantial interruption is determined again at process step 518, after which the method ends at end step 520. To do. Such reconfirmation may include, for example, items shown on the display of a gaming machine, something in the form of a refund or printed ticket, or manual intervention of a player or user by a casino, game operator or other authority. Can be accompanied by a display.

Network and System Configuration Finally, referring to FIG. 9, an example of a network structure for providing a game system having one or more game machine alternatives according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in block diagram form. Yes. The gaming system 600 includes one or more special gaming machines, various communication items, and a number of host-side components and devices configured for use within the gaming environment. As shown, the one or more special gaming machines 100, 200 configured for use in the gaming system 600 may be a bank on a casino floor, or a place other than a smaller gaming center. Can be provided at a plurality of locations. Of course, other gaming devices, such as the example gaming machine 10, or other similar devices that are not described in detail here can also be used in the gaming system 400.

  A common bus 601 may include one or more gaming machines or devices, such as a general purpose server 610, one or more special purpose servers 620, a sub-network of peripheral devices 630, and / or a database 640, among others. , It can connect to a number of network connected devices on the gaming system 600. Such a general purpose server 610 may, for example, provide specific data or downloadable code to such gaming machines instead of or in addition to monitoring or managing any functionality of one or more special gaming machines. It may already be in the store for one or more other purposes, such as supplying. These general-purpose server functions include general and game-specific accounting functions, payroll functions, general Internet and email functions, switchboard communications, and reservation and other hotel and restaurant operations, as well as other It can include a variety of general store record keeping and operations. In some cases, player tracking, downloadable games, remote game management, visual images, video or other data transmission, or other types of functions may also be attached to or performed on such general purpose servers. For example, such servers may include player tracking operations, player account management, remote game play management, remote game play verification, remote game management, downloadable game management and / or storage of visual image or video data, One or more gaming machines that may incorporate various programs for transfer and distribution, and that have been modified to allow remote transfer of funds for game play within the store. They may be linked to form a network that includes all or substantially all of the gaming devices or machines that are specifically configured in the store. In this case, communication can be exchanged from each modified game machine to one or more related programs or modules on the general-purpose server.

  In one embodiment, the game system 600 incorporates one or more special purpose servers that can be used for various functions related to game console management and operation provision under the system. Such special purpose servers may include, for example, a player verification server, a general game server, a downloadable game server, a special accounting server, and / or a visual image or video distribution server, among others. it can. Of course, all of these functions can be combined into a single server such as the special server 620. Such additional special purpose servers can be used, for example, to reduce the burden on existing general purpose servers or to isolate or isolate some or all of the game console management and operation data and functions from general purpose servers. This is desirable for various reasons, such as limiting the possible access modes for such operations and information.

  Alternatively, the remote game system 600 can be isolated from any other network in the store so that the general purpose server 610 is essentially impractical and unnecessary. Preferably, one or more of the special purpose servers are connected to the sub-network 630 under either an isolated or shared network embodiment. Peripheral devices in this sub-network include, for example, one or more video displays 631, one or more user terminals 632, one or more printers 633, and a card reader or other security identification device One or more other digital input devices 634 can be included. Similarly, under either an isolated or shared network embodiment, at least other similar components within special server 620 or general server 610 may also include a connection to a database or other suitable storage medium 640. preferable.

  The database 640 is a file containing data or information related to gaming machines, system equipment, casino employees, and / or players registered with the gaming system, among other potential items. It is preferably configured to store many or all. Files, data and other information on the database 640 can be stored for backup purposes and can be stored on specially modified gaming machines 100, 200, general purpose server 610, and / or special purpose server 620 as desired. Preferably, one or more system components are accessible. The database 640 can also be accessed by one or more of the peripheral devices on the subsystem 630, and information or data recorded on the database can be easily retrieved in one or more peripheral devices as desired. It is preferable to be able to review. Although shown as being directly connected to the common bus 601, only direct connection to a server or other similar device is desired if such direct connection can be omitted and it is desired to increase security with respect to data files. It also assumes that it exists.

  The game system 600 may be a newly created system for use in a casino or game center that is specially designed and installs special game devices such as game consoles 100, 200. Many items can be retrieved or selected from existing game systems. For example, the game system 600 can represent an existing player tracking system, with the addition of a special game machine. Also, new functionality by software, hardware, or others can be provided to the existing database 640, special server 620 and / or general purpose server 610. Thus, the method and system of the present invention can be used at low cost by game operators who already have an existing game system, such as a standard player tracking system, simply by modifying the existing system. Can be Other modifications to existing systems may also be necessary.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarification and understanding, the invention described so far is not limited to the gist of the invention or in many other specific variations and embodiments. It will be appreciated that embodiments can be made without departing from the essential characteristics. Certain changes and modifications may be made and the invention is not limited by the details set forth above, but rather is defined by the appended claims.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of a game machine. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the partial hardware architecture of the game machine of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the method of starting or rebooting the game machine of FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a partial hardware architecture of a special game machine having a magnetoresistive storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating another example of a partial hardware architecture of a special game machine having a magnetoresistive storage device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for starting a special game machine without copying an important portion of code to a high-speed memory according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for recording various important details regarding activity at a gaming machine while a main power source to the gaming machine is interrupted or interrupted according to one embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a storage method used during normal game machine operation and safety storage for recording game machine state information in one storage device or location, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a network infrastructure for providing a game system having one or more special game machines in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Claims (47)

An electronic game machine configured to accept a wager, play a game based on the wager, and give a payout based on a result of the game,
An external housing configured to contain a plurality of internal game console components;
A master game controller configured to control one or more aspects of the game and communicate instructions to at least one of the plurality of internal gaming machine components;
A memory hub that communicates with the master game controller and is responsible for communication between the master game controller and one or more of the plurality of internal game console components;
A first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device that communicates with the memory hub and the master game controller in conjunction with the master game controller, at least a portion of which is the master game game Mainly for dual use as a safety memory device to facilitate the use of the controller for normal game machine operation and to facilitate the restoration of the game machine state in the event of substantial interruption to the game machine A first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device configured to store game machine data and computer code;
A second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device that communicates with the external housing and communicates with the memory hub and the master game controller, at least a portion of which is associated with the external housing; Regardless of whether or not the master game controller is also so linked for gaming, a second random access device configured to store auxiliary gaming machine data or computer code. A memory magnetoresistive storage device;
A game machine characterized by comprising: 2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the substantial interruption to the gaming machine is a power outage, a large electrostatic discharge, a reset, a fatal hardware malfunction, a fatal software malfunction, a gaming machine tilt, and indispensable. A gaming machine selected from one or more items of the group consisting of physical damage to various components. 3. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is used as a single exchange with both DRAM and NVRAM in a normal game machine architecture. A game machine that features. 4. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the main game machine data or computer code stored in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is the first random access memory. A game machine that is not stored in any game machine component other than the magnetoresistive storage device. 5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, or both are stored therein. A gaming machine configured to provide each of said gaming system data or computer code being supplied to said master game controller at a rate faster than about 66 MHz. 6. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, or both are each stored therein. A game machine configured to provide game system data or computer code to the master game controller at a rate faster than about 133 MHz. 7. The gaming machine of claim 6, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, or both are each stored therein. A gaming machine configured to provide game system data or computer code to the master game controller at a rate faster than about 800 MHz. 8. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, or both of them are the memory hub. And indirectly communicating with the master game controller through the game machine. 9. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the memory hub includes at least one application specific integrated circuit. 10. A gaming machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, configured to store only one copy of the primary gaming machine data or computer code in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device. A game machine characterized by 10. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, configured to store multiple copies of the primary gaming machine data or computer code in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device. A game machine characterized by 12. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the main game machine data or computer code stored in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device includes data relating to a state of the game machine. A game machine characterized by that. 13. The game machine of claim 12, wherein data relating to the state of the game machine is stored in the random access memory magnetoresistive storage device without prioritizing any of the data during a storage process. A game machine characterized by being made. The game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein one or more items of the auxiliary game machine data or computer code stored in the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device are: Meter data, country designation, accounting unit, machine yield data, progressive prize data, volume settings, game machine configuration data, and backup for the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device A game machine characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of data or computer code. 15. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the game machine is stored in the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device after each game play on the game machine. A gaming machine configured to update at least one of the one or more items of gaming machine data or computer code. The game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the game machine further includes:
A brain box configured to incorporate the master game controller, the memory hub, and the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, the brain box being removable from the external housing・ Box and
A back board configured to incorporate the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, configured to remain with the external housing when the brain box is removed from the external housing A back board,
A game machine characterized by comprising: A game system configured to accept a wager, play a game based on the wager, and award a dividend based on a result of the game,
A plurality of input and output devices configured to accept a wager, play a game based on the wager, and award a payout based on a result of the game;
A master game controller configured to control one or more aspects of the game and communicate instructions to at least one of the plurality of internal gaming machine components;
A memory hub that communicates with the master game controller to facilitate communication between the master game controller and one or more of the plurality of internal game console components;
A first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device that communicates with the memory hub and the master game controller in conjunction with the master game controller, at least a portion of which is the master game game For dual use as a safety storage device to facilitate use of the controller for normal game machine operation and to facilitate game state restoration in the event of substantial interruption to the game machine, A first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device configured to store system data or computer code;
A game system characterized by comprising: 18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the substantial interruption to the gaming machine is a power outage, a large electrostatic discharge, a reset, a fatal hardware malfunction, a fatal software malfunction, a tilt, and an essential component. One or more items selected from the group consisting of physical damage to any of them, all of which affect the entire game system or a portion of the game system that includes a single game console within the game system. A game system characterized by being an effect item. 19. A gaming machine according to claim 17 or 18, wherein at least a portion of the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is configured to be used as a single replacement for both DRAM and NVRAM in a normal gaming machine architecture. A game system characterized by 20. The game system according to claim 1, wherein the main game machine data or computer code stored in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is the first random access memory. A game system that is not stored in any game console component other than a memory magnetoresistive storage device. 21. A gaming system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is configured to store respective game system data or computer code stored therein. A game system configured to supply the master game controller at a rate faster than 66 MHz. 23. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is configured to rate each game system data or computer code stored therein at a rate greater than about 800 MHz. A game system configured to be supplied to the master game controller. 23. A gaming system according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is configured to communicate with the master game controller indirectly through the memory hub. A game system characterized by 23. A gaming system according to any one of claims 17 to 22, configured to store only one copy of the primary gaming machine data or computer code in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device. A game system characterized by 25. The game system according to claim 17, wherein the game system data or computer code stored in the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is a status of the game system. Or a game system including data relating to a state of a game in the game system. 26. The game system of claim 25, wherein data relating to the game system state or game machine state is stored in the first random access memory magnetic field without prioritizing any of the data during a storage process. A game system configured to be stored in a resistive storage device. 27. The game system according to any one of claims 17 to 26, further comprising:
A physical terminal configured to present a game result to a player of the game system;
A second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device that communicates with the external housing and communicates with the memory hub and the master game controller, at least a portion of which is associated with the external housing; Second random access configured to store auxiliary game system data or computer code for the game, regardless of whether the master game controller is also so linked A memory magnetoresistive storage device;
A game system characterized by including: 28. The game system according to claim 27, wherein the physical terminal includes a game machine. 29. A game system according to claim 28, wherein
A brain box configured to incorporate the master game controller, the memory hub, and the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, the brain box being removable from the game console Box and
A back board configured to incorporate the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, configured to remain with the game machine when the brain box is removed from the external housing. Back board,
A game system characterized by comprising: 28. The gaming system of claim 27, wherein one or more items of the auxiliary gaming machine data or computer code stored in the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device are physical terminal meter data. , Country designation, accounting designation unit, machine yield data, progressive prize data, volume settings, game machine configuration data, and backup data for the first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device, or A game system selected from the group consisting of computer code. 31. The game system of claim 30, wherein the game system is stored in the second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device after each game play on the physical terminal. A game system configured to update at least one of the one or more items of system data or computer code. A game machine configured to accept a wager, play a game based on the wager, and give a payout based on a result of the game,
A display configured to present the game to a player of the gaming machine;
A master game controller configured to control one or more situations of the game and communicate instructions to the display;
At least one random access magnetoresistive storage device in communication with the master game controller, at least a portion of which is used for normal game console operation by the master game controller, and the game Constructed to store key gaming machine data and computer code for dual purpose as a safe storage device to facilitate restoration of gaming machine state in case of substantial interruption to the machine At least one random access magnetoresistive storage device;
A game machine characterized by comprising: 33. A gaming machine according to claim 32, wherein at least a portion of the at least one random access magnetoresistive storage device is incorporated into the master game controller itself. 34. A gaming machine according to claim 32 or 33, wherein the at least one random access memory magnetoresistive storage device is adapted to rate each gaming machine data or computer code stored therein at a rate greater than about 800 MHz. A game machine configured to be supplied to the master game controller. 35. A gaming machine according to any of claims 32 to 34, wherein the gaming machine data or computer code stored in the at least one random access memory magnetoresistive storage device includes data relating to the state of the gaming machine. A game machine characterized by that. 36. The gaming machine of claim 35, wherein data relating to the state of the gaming machine is stored in the at least one random access memory magnetoresistive storage device without prioritizing any of the data during the storage process. A game machine characterized by being configured to do. A game machine according to any one of claims 32-36,
A game linked to the display, comprising at least one secondary random access memory magnetoresistive storage device communicating with the memory hub and the master game controller, at least a portion of which is linked to the display Therefore, the game is characterized in that it is configured to store auxiliary game system data or computer code regardless of whether or not the master game controller is also linked in that way. Machine. 38. The gaming machine of claim 37, further comprising a brain box configured to incorporate the master game controller and the at least one first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device. A brain box removable from the external housing;
A backboard configured to incorporate the at least one second random access memory magnetoresistive storage device so that it remains with the gaming machine when the brain box is removed from the gaming machine. A configured back board, and
A game characterized by comprising: system.   39. The gaming machine of claim 37 or 38, wherein one or more items of the auxiliary game system data or computer code stored in the at least one secondary random access memory magnetoresistive storage device are: Meter data, country designation, accounting designation unit, machine yield data, progressive prize data, volume setting, game machine configuration data, and at least one first random access memory magnetoresistive storage device A game machine characterized by being selected from the group consisting of backup data or computer code. 40. A gaming machine according to any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein the gaming machine is stored in the at least one secondary random access memory magnetoresistive storage device after each play of the game on the gaming machine. A gaming machine configured to update at least one of the one or more items of the auxiliary gaming machine data or computer code. A method of operating a game machine,
Detecting the occurrence of a cautionary event that affects the state of the game machine, wherein the game machine accepts a bet, plays a game based on the bet, and based on a result of the game A step configured to grant a dividend; and
Storing data relating to the detected cautionary event in a first storage device linked to the game machine;
Asserting a particular state of the gaming machine based on the stored data;
Reading the stored data from the first storage device;
Performing one or more normal gaming machine operations based on reading the stored data;
Discovering a substantial interruption to normal game operation in the gaming machine;
Re-reading the stored data from the first storage device, the re-reading step performed after the discovering step;
Re-asserting the specific state of the gaming machine based on the re-reading of the data;
A method characterized by comprising: 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the event requiring attention includes coin insertion, bill insertion, non-cash bill input, meter exchange, game selection, player input, partial game outcome, completed game outcome, coin withdrawal, Or a method characterized by being selected from the group consisting of non-cash securities emissions. 43. A method as claimed in claim 41 or 42, wherein the first storage device comprises a magnetoresistive storage device. 44. The method according to any of claims 41 to 43, wherein the asserting step includes displaying data relating to at least one of the specific states on a display of the gaming machine. 45. A method as claimed in any of claims 41 to 44, wherein a substantial interruption to the regular gaming machine operation is a power outage, a large electrostatic discharge, a gaming machine reset, a fatal hardware malfunction, or a fatal. A method characterized in that it is selected from one or more items of the group consisting of physical software malfunction, gaming machine tilt, and physical damage to essential components. 43. A method as claimed in any one of claims 38 to 42, wherein at least one of the one or more normal gaming machine operations is meter change, meter display, game selection, game play, partial game outcome. A method characterized by being selected from the group consisting of: completed game outcomes, game display, coin reimbursement, non-cash securities discharge, machine yield calculation, information display, and data communication. 47. A method according to any of claims 41 to 46, further comprising:
A method comprising, after the discovering step, establishing a stable power input to the gaming machine and a stable communication with the gaming machine.

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