Method and apparatus for operating networked gaming devices

A system for operating a plurality of gaming devices comprising:

• a host computer;
• an interface circuit associated with a gaming device;
• a network interconnecting the interface circuits to the host computer;
• a plurality of cables which are each connected to selected control terminals in each gaming device;
• and
• a plurality of read only memory devices, each being interposed between each interface circuit and the associated gaming device and bearing a unique machine identification number, each cable being operatively connected to one of the memory devices and each such memory device being operatively connected to corresponding control terminals in the interface circuit associated with the gaming device connected to such cable for providing said number to said computer over the network, each of the cables further comprising a connector harness interposed between each gaming device and associated interface circuit said read only memory being contained within said connector harness.

A method for efficiently identifying individual gaming devices interconnected over a network, each gaming device interfacing with a floor controller over the network through an associated data communication node, a memory device bearing a unique identifier is interposed between and connected to each gaming device and the associated data communication node, comprising the steps of:

• defining a candidate range of identifiers using the floor controller;
• communicating the candidate range of identifiers to each data communication node over the network;
• comparing the unique identifier in the memory device connected to each data communication node to the candidate range of identifiers;
• communicating each such unique identifier falling within the candidate range of identifiers from the respective data communication node to the floor controller over the network;
• monitoring the network using the floor controller for a collision between unique identifiers communicated over the network by more than one of the data communication nodes;
• assigning a node identifier, if the collision between unique identifiers does not occur, to the gaming device associated with the data communication node which communicated the unique identifier;
• and
• communicating the assigned node identifier to the data communication node.

A system for operating a plurality of gaming devices comprising:

• a host computer;
• a plurality of interface circuits each of which is associated with a gaming device;
• a network interconnecting the interface circuits to the host computer;
• a plurality of cables for connecting selected terminals in each gaming device to corresponding terminals in the associated interface circuit;
• and
• a plurality of read only memories, each bearing a unique machine identification number and being contained within one of the cables between the terminals of the associated gaming device and the terminals of the associated interface circuit for providing said number to said computer over the network.

A method for connecting a plurality of gaming devices to a computer comprising:

• associating an interface circuit with each gaming device;
• interconnecting the interface circuits with a computer via a computer network;
• providing a memory device bearing a unique identification number as part of each cable;
• connecting one end of each cable to selected terminals in an associated gaming device;
• and
• connecting the other end of each cable to selected terminals in the associated interface circuit.