EP0005930A1 - Appareils de divertissement - Google Patents

Appareils de divertissement Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0005930A1
EP0005930A1 EP79300831A EP79300831A EP0005930A1 EP 0005930 A1 EP0005930 A1 EP 0005930A1 EP 79300831 A EP79300831 A EP 79300831A EP 79300831 A EP79300831 A EP 79300831A EP 0005930 A1 EP0005930 A1 EP 0005930A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
machine
visual display
control system
programme
display unit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP79300831A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0005930B1 (fr
Inventor
John Laurence Wain
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Barcrest Ltd
Original Assignee
Barcrest Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=10216192&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP0005930(A1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Barcrest Ltd filed Critical Barcrest Ltd
Priority to AT79300831T priority Critical patent/ATE1655T1/de
Publication of EP0005930A1 publication Critical patent/EP0005930A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0005930B1 publication Critical patent/EP0005930B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
    • G07F17/3202—Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
    • G07F17/3204—Player-machine interfaces
    • G07F17/3211—Display means

Definitions

  • This invention relates to entertainment machines including both gaming machines and non-gaming amusement machines of the kind, hereinafter referred to as the kind defined, which is operable by a player so as to perform a number of operations (particularly although not necessarily on a random basis) as initiated by the player,.and to perform further operations determined by the first said operations (involving, for example, the actuation of a device which gives a win indication in the event that a predetermined arrangement, such as a predetermined combination or sequence of the first said operations is achieved).
  • the processing device is in the form of a microprocessor unit (MPU) in the context of an entertainment machine of the fruit machine type, that is, a machine having a number of rotatable members such as drums or discs carrying symbols or indicia, which members are in play set in rotation and subsequently come to rest with a combination of said indicia displayed to the player, the duration of rotation of each member, and hence the displayed combination of indicia being determined wholly or largely on a random basis and a reward mechanism being actuated in the event that said displayed combination is of a predetermined nature.
  • MPU microprocessor unit
  • control system of the kind described above in the context of an entertainment machine of the kind defined, in conjunction with an electronic visual display unit arranged to produce a visual display representative of performance of the first said machine operations, said display unit being connected to the said control system and production of said display being arranged to be controlled by said control system.
  • the said entertainment machine advantageously can be constructed with the minimum of mechanical systems.
  • the arrangement may be such that, in place of the usual rotating discs or drums and associated drive equipment, the visual display unit may be arranged to produce a visual display simulating the rotation of discs or drums. Reliability can therefore be improved and also it may be possible to perform operations and achieve effects which may be impossible or inconvenient with conventional mechanical systems, for example, it may be possible to provide simulated discs or drums with many more different stopping positions than the usual 2 0 stopping positions with conventional fruit machines, and it may be possible to have many more than the usual three or four drums or discs.
  • the use of a visual display in substitution for a mechanical system may also render more difficult interference with the machine by dishonest practices.
  • the game played with the entertainment machine can be varied in a simple and convenient manner by changing the operation of the control system, by replacing or modifying said programme device thereof, and in this respect it will be noted that such change in operation of the control system can change not only the functioning of the machine but also the nature of the visual display.
  • the display simulates rotating fruit machine drums
  • the display may be changed to vary features such as the number of simulated discs or drums, the number or kind of simulated indicia on the peripheries of such discs or drums, and the like.
  • the display may be changed to change the nature of the entertainment machine, for example, by changing the display from a simulated fruit machine display to a display appropriate to a simulated ball game of known kind in which a symbol representing a ball is impelled backwards and forwards by simulated impact with further symbols which are movable under the control of players.
  • the invention is not of course intended to be restricted to these games and the encer- tainment machine of the invention may be capable of use in the playing of any other suitable game or for any other suitable entertainment and/or educational purpose.
  • the arrangement may be such that the visual display unit is arranged to produce a visual display representative of the aforesaid second machine operations and/or a visual display providing information, instructions, decorative matter and the like appropriate to the game to be played.
  • the visual display may not only simulate the rotation of drums or discs but may also give win indications when a winning combination is obtained, may display information relating to the game such as details of winning combinations, and may display decorative borders, simulated window frames around the simulated drums or discs, and the like.
  • this may take any suitable form but preferably comprises a cathode ray tube particularly a colour video tube.
  • the machine comprises a floor-standing box structure housing 1 containing a colour video tube 45 (Fig. 2) the front screen 2 of which is exposed through an opening in a front wall of the housing.
  • a conventional coin mechanism has a slot 3 mounted at the front of the housing as also are control switches 4, and a pay-out chute 5.
  • Inside the housing 1 there is a control system, as shown in Fig. 2, which is connected to the coin mechanism 3, to the switches 4, to the video tube and to other mechanisms and devices such as indicator lamps, game counters, coin counters, pay-out solenoids and the like.
  • the control system comprises a main sequential processing device, namely a microprocessor unit MPU with associated auxiliary devices such as a power supply (not shown), clock device 10, random access memory (RAM) and interface units (PIA).
  • MPU microprocessor unit
  • RAM random access memory
  • PIA interface units
  • the MPU is connected to the RAM and PIA devices via control, data and address buses 11, 12, 13.
  • the PIA units are connected to switching triacs 14 which control switching of heavy duty components such as pay-out solenoids, to switching transistors 15 which control switching of indicator lamps 16, and to input switches 17 such as coin mechanism and player control switches.
  • the MPU also has connected thereto (via the buses 11 ; 12, 13) a programme device in the form of a plug-in module 18 comprising an encased printed circuit board with memory devices and associated components thereon.
  • the memory devices comprise ROM/PROM devices.
  • the module has a multi-pin p.c.b. plug 19 which is detachably engageable with an appropriate socket 20 of the control system.
  • the MPU is also connected via a bi-directional three-state buffer device 21 to a buffered data bus 23 connected to a cathode ray tube controller device (CRTC) which may be a motorola MC6845 device.
  • CRTC cathode ray tube controller device
  • the MPU address bus 13 is also connected to an address bus 24 of the CRTC device.
  • This device has outputs 22 which are connected to the video tube 45 and are arranged to feed timing signals (line and frame sync) to the video tube 45 under the control of the MPU.
  • the CRTC device also produces, under the control of the MPU, 12-bit display address outputs via line 26 which are used to produce a display on the video tube screen in accordance with data stored in a display RAM 25.
  • the display RAM 25 typically has a lk X 8-bit storage capacity and each location within the RAM represents an area on the video tube screen, and each such area has a unique 8-bit character or symbol code. Each such code being read from the display RAM is held in an 8-bit character latch 27.
  • the 8-bit code (on a character address bus 29) together with a 4-bit row address (on a row address bus 30 from the CRTC device) are used to address a number of PROM character/symbol generators 28, which like the above-mentioned ROM/PROM devices may be in the form of a separate plug-in module incorporated in or separate to the ROM/PROM module 18.
  • a single one of the character PROMs 28 produces an 8-bit output at line 31 appropriate to the production on the screen of a displayed alphanumeric character, such display being a two-colour display, background and foreground.
  • two combined symbol PROMs 28 produce an 8-bit output at line 32 appropriate to the production on the screen of a displayed fruit symbol (a cherry, orange or the like), such display being a two-colour display with black and white.
  • outputs of the PROMs 28 are connected via dot multiplexers 33 (giving 1-bit outputs) to red, green and blue colour channels 34, 35, 36 of the video tube.
  • the dot multiplexers 33 are also connected via a 3-bit dot address line 42 to an 8MH dot rate clock 43 via a divider 44.
  • a lMH 2 output of the divider is also connected to a character rate clock input of the CRTC.
  • the foreground and background may be in any of eight colours (the various combinations of red, green, and blue) giving 64 colour combinations.
  • the combination selected is determined by a 6-bit code fed to a colour modifier ROM device 37 from a 6-bit colour modifier latch 38 which is set by 64 of the 256 character codes of the display RAM. Once this latch has been set it determines all the following character colours until the next colour modifier code is detected-and-latched. Colour modifier codes cause the appropriate background colour to be displayed on the video tube at the pertaining location.
  • the CRTC device and the display RAM are under the control of the MPU via the three-state data buffer 21 and an address multiplexer 39.
  • Many of the parameters of the CRTC are under SOFTWARE control, such as size and number of characters displayed on the screen.
  • the video tube produces a visual display comprising a side-by-side arrangement of sets of fruit symbols 6, an arrangement of alphanumeric characters and symbols at fixed positions 7 on the video screen providing information for example concerning the value of coins to be inserted, the awards which can be obtained with various winning combinations, and if desired other information or decorative matter or border lines for example defining a "window" around the fruit symbols 6 and the like.
  • the display and the nature of the game can be changed by changing the plug-in module or modules. If desired, and as shown in dotted lines, a further plug-in module 40 or section of the ROM/PROM and/ or character/symbol PROM module or modules may be provided for expanding the display RAM 25.
  • Such change of modules may be utilised to give changes in the details of the game, for example, by changing the awards, or the winning combinations, or even the number of sets of symbols, but without departing from the general fruit machine format. Additionally, if desired, the change of modules may change the format of the machine to the extent that the machine can be used for playing a conventional video game such as a bat and ball type video game. In this case there may be provision for feeding linear inputs from player controls via a converter 41 to the MPU via one PIA thereof. If desired there may be a plurality of programme modules appropriate to different games and there may be a selector switch whereby an appropriate module.can be selected by a player to give a desired game. There may also be a test module which is plugged in or selected with a selector switch to enable the machine to be tested automatically in like manner to that described in the aforementioned British Patent Specification.
EP79300831A 1978-05-31 1979-05-15 Appareils de divertissement Expired EP0005930B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT79300831T ATE1655T1 (de) 1978-05-31 1979-05-15 Unterhaltungsautomaten.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB2472078 1978-05-31
GB24720/78A GB1596363A (en) 1978-05-31 1978-05-31 Entertainment machines

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0005930A1 true EP0005930A1 (fr) 1979-12-12
EP0005930B1 EP0005930B1 (fr) 1982-10-13

Family

ID=10216192

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP79300831A Expired EP0005930B1 (fr) 1978-05-31 1979-05-15 Appareils de divertissement

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0005930B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE1655T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE2963839D1 (fr)
ES (1) ES481157A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB1596363A (fr)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1982001611A1 (fr) * 1980-10-31 1982-05-13 Parker Alan G Ameliorations relatives a des jeux video
EP0058488A1 (fr) * 1981-02-02 1982-08-25 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Appareil de jeu ou d'amusement
EP0060019A1 (fr) * 1981-02-06 1982-09-15 Barcrest Limited Machines d'amusement
EP0064308A2 (fr) * 1981-04-24 1982-11-10 Rouvoet B.V. Machine de jeu
EP0065404A2 (fr) * 1981-05-08 1982-11-24 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Dispositif vidéo de jeu ou d'amusement
DE3229634A1 (de) * 1982-08-09 1984-02-09 Paul 4992 Espelkamp Gauselmann Bildschirm - spielautomat
GB2253931A (en) * 1991-03-08 1992-09-23 Barcrest Ltd Entertainment machines
GB2482930A (en) * 2010-08-18 2012-02-22 David Cechmanek Multi-game online gaming apparatus

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2584211B1 (fr) * 1985-06-28 1990-11-30 Cga Alcatel Terminal portatif pour carte a memoire.
JPH0541731Y2 (fr) * 1985-08-02 1993-10-21
GB8617044D0 (en) * 1986-07-12 1986-08-20 Bell Fruit Mfg Co Ltd Gaming & amusement machines
DE3702611C2 (de) * 1987-01-29 1996-06-20 Nsm Ag Gehäuse für Spielautomaten
US6003867A (en) * 1997-06-13 1999-12-21 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine utilizing time-based random game result selection means
US11798370B2 (en) 2020-10-26 2023-10-24 Lnw Gaming, Inc. Gaming machine and method with symbol array alteration

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1178302A (en) * 1967-01-20 1970-01-21 Michael Beckett Ltd Improvements in or relating to Gaming Machines.
DE2329255A1 (de) * 1972-06-08 1973-12-20 Int Cybernetic Machines Ltd Muenz- oder spielmarkengesteuerter apparat
US3918716A (en) * 1972-07-20 1975-11-11 Clarion Co Ltd Game apparatus for trying coincidence between randomly selected characters
GB1414898A (en) * 1972-01-17 1975-11-19 Castle T W Electronic amusement machine
DE2527724A1 (de) * 1974-06-24 1976-01-15 Bally Mfg Corp Elektronischer muenzspielautomat
DE2511747A1 (de) * 1975-03-18 1976-09-23 Kaiser Spielautomat fuer muenzen o.dgl.
GB1466765A (en) * 1975-03-12 1977-03-09 Bell Fruit Mfg Co Ltd Gaming machine
DE2717184A1 (de) * 1976-04-22 1977-11-24 Barcrest Ltd Unterhaltungsautomat

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1178302A (en) * 1967-01-20 1970-01-21 Michael Beckett Ltd Improvements in or relating to Gaming Machines.
GB1414898A (en) * 1972-01-17 1975-11-19 Castle T W Electronic amusement machine
DE2329255A1 (de) * 1972-06-08 1973-12-20 Int Cybernetic Machines Ltd Muenz- oder spielmarkengesteuerter apparat
US3918716A (en) * 1972-07-20 1975-11-11 Clarion Co Ltd Game apparatus for trying coincidence between randomly selected characters
DE2527724A1 (de) * 1974-06-24 1976-01-15 Bally Mfg Corp Elektronischer muenzspielautomat
GB1466765A (en) * 1975-03-12 1977-03-09 Bell Fruit Mfg Co Ltd Gaming machine
DE2511747A1 (de) * 1975-03-18 1976-09-23 Kaiser Spielautomat fuer muenzen o.dgl.
DE2717184A1 (de) * 1976-04-22 1977-11-24 Barcrest Ltd Unterhaltungsautomat

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1982001611A1 (fr) * 1980-10-31 1982-05-13 Parker Alan G Ameliorations relatives a des jeux video
EP0058488A1 (fr) * 1981-02-02 1982-08-25 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Appareil de jeu ou d'amusement
EP0060019A1 (fr) * 1981-02-06 1982-09-15 Barcrest Limited Machines d'amusement
EP0064308A3 (fr) * 1981-04-24 1985-01-23 Rouvoet B.V. Machine de jeu
EP0064308A2 (fr) * 1981-04-24 1982-11-10 Rouvoet B.V. Machine de jeu
EP0065404A2 (fr) * 1981-05-08 1982-11-24 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Dispositif vidéo de jeu ou d'amusement
EP0070613A2 (fr) * 1981-05-08 1983-01-26 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Dispositif vidéo de jeu ou d'amusement
EP0070613A3 (en) * 1981-05-08 1984-05-09 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Video gaming or amusement machine
EP0065404A3 (en) * 1981-05-08 1984-06-06 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Video gaming or amusement machine
DE3229634A1 (de) * 1982-08-09 1984-02-09 Paul 4992 Espelkamp Gauselmann Bildschirm - spielautomat
GB2253931A (en) * 1991-03-08 1992-09-23 Barcrest Ltd Entertainment machines
GB2253931B (en) * 1991-03-08 1994-08-24 Barcrest Ltd Entertainment machines
GB2482930A (en) * 2010-08-18 2012-02-22 David Cechmanek Multi-game online gaming apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1596363A (en) 1981-08-26
EP0005930B1 (fr) 1982-10-13
DE2963839D1 (en) 1982-11-18
ATE1655T1 (de) 1982-10-15
ES481157A1 (es) 1980-01-16

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