EP0005930B1 - Appareils de divertissement - Google Patents

Appareils de divertissement Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0005930B1
EP0005930B1 EP79300831A EP79300831A EP0005930B1 EP 0005930 B1 EP0005930 B1 EP 0005930B1 EP 79300831 A EP79300831 A EP 79300831A EP 79300831 A EP79300831 A EP 79300831A EP 0005930 B1 EP0005930 B1 EP 0005930B1
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.)
Expired
Application number
EP79300831A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0005930A1 (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(B1) "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 sequences 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.
  • said display unit being connected to the said control system and production of said display being arranged to be controlled by said control system.
  • an entertainment machine having an electronic visual display unit and which can be operated by a player, after actuation thereof by insertion of one or more coins or tokens into a coin mechanism of the machine, to initiate performance of first machine operations represented by a plurality of visual displays of a moving or changing nature terminating at random in fixed visual displays, respectively at a plurality of regions on a screen of said display unit, said machine being arranged to perform further opations resulting in a win indication in the event that said fixed displays form any of a predetermined plurality of winning combinations thereof, said machine incorporating a control system arranged to respond to and effect control of said machine operations, the control system incorporating a processing device and a programme device incorporated in the control system for feeding programme information to the processing device, and said machine having thereon a further informative visual display of said predetermined plurality of winning combinations and awards relating thereto, characterised in that said further visual display is arranged to be produced on said screen (2) of said electronic visual display unit (45) alongside said other visual displays, and
  • 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 20 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 entertainment 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 visual display unit may be arranged to produce a visual display of other information and/or instruction pertaining to the game to be played with the machine and if desired also a display representative of the aforesaid second machine operations and/or decorative matter and the like.
  • the visual display may also give win indications when a winning combination is obtained, 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 cointers, 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 bidirectional 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
  • 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 1 k 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 8MHz dot rate clock 43 via a divider 44.
  • a 1 MHz 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 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 PMU 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.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Slot Machines And Peripheral Devices (AREA)
  • Display Devices Of Pinball Game Machines (AREA)
  • Iron Core Of Rotating Electric Machines (AREA)
  • Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
  • Reciprocating, Oscillating Or Vibrating Motors (AREA)

Claims (5)

1. Une machine de divertissement ayant un ensemble électronique d'affichage visuel et qui peut être actionnée par un joueur, après la mise en action de la machine par l'introduction d'une ou de plusieurs pièces de monnaie ou jetons dans un mécanismse à pièces de monnaie de la machine, pour faire démarrer l'exécution de premières opérations de la machine représentée par plusieurs affichages visuels d'une nature mobile ou changeante se terminant au hasard dans un affichage visuel fixe, dans plusieurs zones. respectivement sur un écran dudit ensemble d'affichage, ladite machine étant agencée pour effectuer d'autres opérations ayant pour résultat l'indication d'un succès dans le cas où ledit affichage fixe forme l'une quelconque d'une pluralité prédéterminé de combinaisons gagnantes, ladite machine comportant un système incorporé de commande agencé pour répondre à, et affectuer la commande desdites opérations de la machine, le système de commande comportant un dispositif de traitement et un dispositif à programme incorporé au système de commande pour distribuer une information de programme au dispositif de traitement, ladite machine comportant sur elle un autre affichage visuel indicatif de ladite pluralité prédéterminé de combinaisons gagnantes et de récompenses qui sont liées à celles-ci, machine caractérisée et ce que ledit agencement supplémentaire d'affichage visuel est adapté pour être produit sur ledit écran dudit ensemble électronique (45) d'affichage visuel à côté dudit autre affichage visuel, et ledit système de commande étant agencé pour commander la production de tous lesdits affichages visuels sur ledit écran conformément au programme d'information fourni par le dispositif à programme (18), grâce à quoi ledit affichage visuel peut être modifié de cette façon pour adapter la machine pour la pratique de différents jeux avec celle-ci par un changement dudit dispositif à programme.
2. Machine suivant la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que l'affichage visuel mobile ou changeant sur l'ensemble (45) d'affichage visuel est adapté pour simuler la rotation de disques ou de tambours d'une machine à fruits et l'affichage visuel fixe est agencé pour simuler de tels disques ou tambours lorsqu'ils sont arrêtés.
3. Machine suivant la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisée en ce que l'ensemble électronique (45) d'affichage visuel est un tube à rayons cathodiques couleurs et le fonctionnement de celui-ci est commandé par ledit système de commande conformément à des informations sous forme binaire emmagasinées dans le dispositif (18) à programme.
4. Machine suivant l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, dans laquelle ledit dispositif à programme est prévu à l'intérieur de la machine sous la forme d'un module qui est incorporé de façon détachable dans ledit système de commande, machine caractérisée en ce qu'elle peut être adaptée pour la pratique de différents jeux et pour la production de différents affichages appartenant auxdits jeux, seulement par échange dudit module avec d'autres modules différents.
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 EP0005930A1 (fr) 1979-12-12
EP0005930B1 true 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)

Families Citing this family (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS57501813A (fr) * 1980-10-31 1982-10-14
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
NL8102022A (nl) * 1981-04-24 1982-11-16 Rouvoet B V Speelautomaat.
EP0070613A3 (en) * 1981-05-08 1984-05-09 Ace Coin Equipment Limited Video gaming or amusement machine
DE3229634A1 (de) * 1982-08-09 1984-02-09 Paul 4992 Espelkamp Gauselmann Bildschirm - spielautomat
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
GB2253931B (en) * 1991-03-08 1994-08-24 Barcrest Ltd Entertainment machines
US6003867A (en) * 1997-06-13 1999-12-21 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine utilizing time-based random game result selection means
CZ22207U1 (cs) * 2010-08-18 2011-05-16 Cechmánek@David Multiloterijní on-line výherní zarízení
US11798370B2 (en) 2020-10-26 2023-10-24 Lnw Gaming, Inc. Gaming machine and method with symbol array alteration

Family Cites Families (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.
AU436874B2 (en) * 1972-01-17 1973-06-14 William Castle Trevor An electronic amusement machine
AU5663373A (en) * 1972-06-08 1974-12-12 Int Cybernetic Machines Ltd Coil or token operated machines coil or token operated machines
US3918716A (en) * 1972-07-20 1975-11-11 Clarion Co Ltd Game apparatus for trying coincidence between randomly selected characters
AU500709B2 (en) * 1974-06-24 1979-05-31 Bally Manufacturing Corp. Electronic gaming device
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

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES481157A1 (es) 1980-01-16
ATE1655T1 (de) 1982-10-15
DE2963839D1 (en) 1982-11-18
EP0005930A1 (fr) 1979-12-12
GB1596363A (en) 1981-08-26

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