Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited

Aristocrat Leisure Industries Pty Limited

Ronald Edward Mach

Anthony Wayne Bond

An electronic Input/Output Interface and device abstraction system used in gaming machines includes: a game central processing unit (game 'CPU'); an intelligent input/output controller board ('IOCB'); an Industry Standard Architecture PC bus (&#x201c;ISA&#x201d; bus); and a framed message transport protocol. The IOCB facilitates communications between the game CPU and virtual device services, which are peripheral devices associated with the gaming system. The game CPU communicates to gaming peripherals by sending virtual device messages across the ISA bus to the IOCB. The IOCB routes virtual device messages to appropriate virtual device services. Virtual device services are responsible for handling specific hardware, and include virtual device drivers on the game CPU that communicate with virtual devices on the IOCB. Use of the IOCB and the high speed interface enables the game CPU to use more of its available functions for controlling gaming functions rather than one operation of its associated peripheral devices.

Input/output interface and device abstraction

The invention comprises an electronically secured inter-processor and virtual device communications system, with an input/output controller board, a multi-drop bus interface to multiple devices, and a parallel interface to an industry standard single board computer. The invention assigns a bus address and virtual identification number to each device and controls communications between the main central processing unit and the devices through a Plug-n-Play protocol.

Secured inter-processor and virtual device communications system

Secured inter-processor and virtual device communications system for use in a gaming system

An electronic Input/Output Interface and device abstraction system used in gaming machine includes: a game central processing unit (the game 'CPU'); an intelligent input/output controller board (the 'IOCB'); an Industry Standard Architecture PC bus &#x201c;ISA&#x201d; bus); and a framed message transport protocol. The IOCB facilitates the communications between the game CPU and virtual device services, which are peripheral devices associated with the gaming system. These include devices such as displays, buttons, hoppers, coin mechanisms and bill validators. The framed message transport protocol includes: a message header, a body containing a virtual device message, and a packet validation signature. The game CPU communicates to gaming peripherals by sending virtual device messages across the ISA bus to the IOCB. The IOCB then routes the virtual device message to the appropriate virtual device services. The virtual device services are responsible for handling specific hardware, and are made up of virtual device drivers on the game CPU that communicate with virtual devices on the IOCB and use of the IOCB and the high speed interface enables the game CPU to use more of its available functions for controlling gaming functions rather than one operation of its associated peripheral devices.

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Las Vegas, NV, United States of America

Ronald Edward Mach