Data viewing/modifying via data import/export architecture

Abstract

A secure architecture can provide a wagering game establishment access to the utility and entertainment value of online social communities. An architecture that employs an internal entity that controls import and export of data (“import/export controller”) and an external entity that operates as a liaison (“data liaison”) between the import/export controller and one or more online social communities allows this access in a secure manner. The import/export controller and the data liaison handle data transmissions (e.g., data feeds, data updates, etc.) between the secure entity and the one or more online social communities. The import/export controller applies rules that regulate import and export of data, and the data liaison allows the import/export controller to operate in obscurity. Funneling data transmissions through the import/export controller and the data liaison allows players to securely access an online social community from a wagering game machine while in a wagering game establishment.

1 . A method comprising:
 receiving, from a machine, a request to view or modify data of a player, wherein the request indicates a first player identifier that represents the player in an online community;   determining a second player identifier associated with the first player identifier, wherein the second player identifier identifies the player within a wagering game establishment;   determining that an entry with the second player identifier in a player account database of a wagering game establishment has an active indication;   responsive to determining that the entry has the active indication,
 determining whether a modification complies with an import rule and whether the data is permitted to be modified if the request indicates the modification for the data of the player; 
 if the modification complies with the import rule and the data is permitted to be modified, applying the modification to the data of the player; 
 evaluating the data against an export rule of the wagering game establishment and transmitting the data in accordance with the export rule to the machine, which operates separately from the wagering game establishment and the online community, if the request is to view the data of the player. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said transmitting the data in accordance with the export rule to the machine comprises modifying the data to comply with the export rule to generate export rule compliant data for viewing external to the wagering game establishment. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises one of an indication of at least one of an achievement and an award associated with the first player identifier from the online community, an indication of reputation in the online community associated with the first player identifier, and an indication of community credit in the online community associated with the first player identifier. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said transmitting the data in accordance with the export rule comprises at least one of transmitting for viewing a name of the wagering game establishment, transmitting for viewing a name of a game currently associated with the second player identifier, transmitting for viewing total winnings associated with the second player identifier for a current trip, transmitting for viewing winnings today associated with the second player identifier, transmitting for viewing a name of the most frequently played wagering game indicated for the second player identifier, transmitting for viewing a reputation associated with the second player identifier within the wagering game establishment. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said transmitting the data in accordance with the export rule to the external device comprises expurgating at least one of the second player identifier and an indication of a player account for the player from the data. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the machine comprises one of a data liaison and a server corresponding to an external trusted destination. 
     
     
         7 . A machine-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions comprising:
 program instructions to determine a wagering game establishment associated with a player identifier indicated in a request to view or modify data of a player that was received from an online community, wherein the player identifier represents the player in the online community;   program instructions to forward the request to a designated import/export controller of the wagering game establishment; and   program instructions to forward data for viewing to a requestor indicated in the request from the online community in response to receiving the data from the import/export controller of the wagering game establishment.   
     
     
         8 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 7  further comprising program instructions to forward, to a server of the online community, an indication that the player as represented by the player identifier is active in the wagering game establishment in response to receiving the indication from the wagering game establishment and prior to receipt of the request. 
     
     
         9 . A machine-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon, the program instructions comprising:
 program instructions to receive, from an external machine that is separate from a machine reading the machine-readable medium, a request to view or modify data of a player, wherein the request indicates a first player identifier that represents the player in an online community;   program instructions to determine a second player identifier associated with the first player identifier, wherein the second player identifier identifies the player within a wagering game establishment;   program instructions to determine whether an entry with the second player identifier in a player account database of a wagering game establishment has an active indication;   program instructions to determine, responsive to determining that the entry has the active indication, whether a modification complies with an import rule and whether the data is permitted to be modified if the request indicates the modification for the data of the player;   program instructions to apply the modification to the data of the player if the modification complies with the import rule and the data is permitted to be modified;   program instructions to evaluate the data against an export rule of the wagering game establishment and transmit the data in accordance with the export rule to the external machine, which operates separately from the wagering game establishment and the online community, if the request is to view the data of the player.   
     
     
         10 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to transmit the data in accordance with the export rule to the external machine comprises program instructions to modify the data to comply with the export rule and generate export rule compliant data for viewing external to the wagering game establishment. 
     
     
         11 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the modification comprises one of an indication at of least one of an achievement and an award associated with the first player identifier from the online community, an indication of reputation in the online community associated with the first player identifier, and an indication of community credit in the online community associated with the first player identifier. 
     
     
         12 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the program instructions to transmit the data in accordance with the export rule comprises program instructions to, at least one of, transmit for viewing a name of the wagering game establishment, transmit for viewing a name of a game currently associated with the second player identifier, transmit for viewing total winnings associated with the second player identifier for a current trip, transmit for viewing winnings today associated with the second player identifier, transmit for viewing a name of the most frequently played wagering game indicated for the second player identifier, transmit for viewing a reputation associated with the second player identifier within the wagering game establishment. 
     
     
         13 . The machine-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the program instructions to transmit the data in accordance with the export rule to the external device comprises program instructions to expurgate at least one of the second player identifier and an indication of a player account for the player from the data. 
     
     
         14 . A data liaison communicatively coupled with an import/export controller of a wagering game establishment and communicatively coupled with a server of an online community, the data liaison comprising:
 a processor;   a network interface operable to receive communications from the import/export controller and the server of the online community; and   a machine-readable medium having stored therein program instructions, the program instructions including,
 program instructions to determine the wagering game establishment associated with a player identifier indicated in a request to view or modify data of a player that was received from the server of the online community, wherein the player identifier represents the player in the online community; 
 program instructions to forward the request to the import/export controller of the wagering game establishment; and 
 program instructions to forward data for viewing to a requestor indicated in the request from the online community in response to receiving the data from the import/export controller of the wagering game establishment. 
   
     
     
         15 . The data liaison of  claim 14  further comprising program instructions to forward, to the server of the online community, an indication that the player as represented by the player identifier is active in the wagering game establishment in response to receiving the indication from the wagering game establishment and prior to receipt of the request. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus comprising:
 a processor;   a network interface operable to receive, from a machine, a request to view or modify data of a player, wherein the request indicates a first player identifier that represents the player in an online community;   a wagering game establishment data import/export controller operable to,
 determine a second player identifier associated with the first player identifier, wherein the second player identifier identifies the player within a wagering game establishment; 
 determine whether an entry with the second player identifier in a player account database of the wagering game establishment has an active indication; 
 determine, responsive to determining that the entry has the active indication, whether a modification complies with an import rule and whether the data is permitted to be modified if the request indicates the modification for the data of the player; 
 apply the modification to the data of the player if the modification complies with the import rule and the data is permitted to be modified; 
 evaluate the data against an export rule of the wagering game establishment and transmit the data in accordance with the export rule to the machine, which operates separately from the wagering game establishment of the apparatus and the online community, if the request is to view the data of the player. 
   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the wagering game establishment data import/export controller being operable to transmit the data in accordance with the export rule to the machine comprises the wagering game establishment data import/export controller being operable to modify the data to comply with the export rule and to generate export rule compliant data for viewing external to the wagering game establishment. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the modification comprises one of an indication at of least one of an achievement and an award associated with the first player identifier from the online community, an indication of reputation in the online community associated with the first player identifier, and an indication of community credit in the online community associated with the first player identifier. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the wagering game establishment data import/export controller being operable to transmit the data in accordance with the export rule comprises the wagering game establishment data import/export controller being operable to, at least one of, transmit for viewing a name of the wagering game establishment, transmit for viewing a name of a game currently associated with the second player identifier, transmit for viewing total winnings associated with the second player identifier for a current trip, transmit for viewing winnings today associated with the second player identifier, transmit for viewing a name of the most frequently played wagering game indicated for the second player identifier, transmit for viewing a reputation associated with the second player identifier within the wagering game establishment. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the wagering game establishment data import/export controller being operable to transmit the data in accordance with the export rule to the external device comprises the wagering game establishment data import/export controller being operable to expurgate at least one of the second player identifier and an indication of a player account for the player from the data.