Gaming System Peripherals With Automatic System Configuration

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include a method comprising: adding a gaming machine peripheral to a gaming machine including selecting a gaming machine peripheral to be added, wherein the selected gaming machine peripheral appears as a virtual peripheral on the gaming machine so that the gaming machine is not aware of the physical location of the peripheral device.

1 . A method comprising:
 adding a gaming machine peripheral to a gaming machine including selecting a gaming machine peripheral to be added, wherein the selected gaming machine peripheral appears as a virtual peripheral on the gaming machine so that the gaming machine is not aware of the physical location of the peripheral device.   
   
   
       2 . A method according to  claim 1  further including the gaming machine communicating with the peripheral using at least one network message. 
   
   
       3 . A method according to  claim 2  further wherein the message is sent to the peripheral device across a network or a messaging path in the gaming machine. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gaming machine peripheral is selected from the group including a display device, a printer device, a mechanical reel, a video reel display, a coin acceptor, a bill acceptor, an auxiliary memory unit, a player card acceptor and a credit card acceptor. 
   
   
       5 .- 7 . (canceled) 
   
   
       8 . An apparatus comprising:
 a gaming machine;   a gaming machine peripheral that appears as a virtual peripheral on the gaming machine so that the gaming machine is not aware of the physical location of the peripheral device.   
   
   
       9 . The apparatus according to  claim 8  further including a message adapted to communicate with the peripheral. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9  further wherein the message is conveyed on a network and is received by the peripheral device. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the gaming machine peripheral is selected from the group including a display device, a printer device, a mechanical reel, a video reel display, a coin acceptor, a bill acceptor, an auxiliary memory unit, a player card acceptor or a credit card acceptor. 
   
   
       12 .- 16 . (canceled) 
   
   
       17 . A system, comprising:
 a gaming machine peripheral that includes a machine readable identification; and   a gaming machine operating system operable on a gaming machine to read the identification of the gaming machine peripheral, to determine if the gaming machine peripheral is allowed to be added to the gaming machine and to automatically locate and install a driver to support the gaming machine peripheral, wherein automatically locating includes requesting a driver from a gaming server.   
   
   
       18 . A system according to  claim 17  further including one or more additional gaming servers on which the driver may be located, and wherein one of the servers is maintained under the supervision of a jurisdictional authority. 
   
   
       19 . A system according to  claim 18  wherein the gaming servers are organized in a hierarchy for the purposes of locating the driver. 
   
   
       20 . A system according to  claim 17 , wherein the peripheral is selected from the group including a display device, a printer device, a mechanical reel, a video reel display, a coin acceptor, a bill acceptor, an auxiliary memory unit, a player card acceptor or a credit card acceptor. 
   
   
       21 . (canceled) 
   
   
       22 . A method of adding a gaming machine peripheral to a gaming machine connected to a gaming network having a plurality of network devices, including a gaming server and another gaming machine, the method comprising:
 selecting a gaming machine peripheral, wherein the selected gaming machine peripheral includes a machine readable identification;   reading the machine readable identification of the gaming machine peripheral;   determining if the gaming machine peripheral is allowed to be added to the gaming machine; and   if the gaming machine peripheral is allowed to be added to the gaming machine, automatically locating and installing a driver associated with the gaming machine peripheral, wherein automatically locating includes requesting a driver from one of the plurality of network devices.   
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein selecting a gaming machine peripheral includes choosing a gaming machine peripheral from the group including a display device, a printer device, a mechanical reel, a video reel display, a coin acceptor, a bill acceptor, an auxiliary memory unit, a player card acceptor or a credit card acceptor. 
   
   
       24 . A method according to  claim 22  wherein the driver is certified. 
   
   
       25 . A method according to  claim 24  wherein the driver is certified by a jurisdictional authority. 
   
   
       26 . A system according to  claim 17  wherein the driver is certified. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gaming machine peripheral added comprises a plurality of gaming machine peripherals representing a class. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein each of the plurality of gaming machine peripherals is similar in function. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein each of the plurality of gaming peripherals includes an adaptor incorporated into the gaming machine peripheral. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the adaptor presents a universal interface to a machine or device connected to the gaming machine peripheral. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising replacing a first peripheral in the class with a second, different peripheral in the class without changing a driver.