EP1890308A1

EP1890308A1 - Press buttons

Info

Publication number: EP1890308A1
Application number: EP07253138A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paul Gilmore
Original assignee: IGT UK Ltd
Current assignee: IGT UK Ltd
Priority date: 2006-08-15
Filing date: 2007-08-10
Publication date: 2008-02-20
Also published as: GB0616124D0; GB2441000A

Abstract

A press button for controlling two or more functions of a coin-operated entertainment machine, such as a fruit machine, has a movable button (27) with a display region (28) and a switch (23). The button (27) can be pushed to operate the switch (23), and lamps (25, 26) are provided to back-illuminate images on the display region (28). The images are of different colours, and the lamps (25, 26) provide differently coloured light. The images can be viewed selectively depending on which colour light is used.

Description

This invention relates to press buttons, particularly although not exclusively, for player-operable entertainment machines, especially coin-operated amusement with prizes (AWP) machines, such as "fruit" or "poker" machines of the kind having a main display device for displaying a selected combination of symbols at a win zone. As used herein the term coin is intended also to cover tokens, charge or credit cards or any other means of supplying credit or monetary value.
The main display device of a fruit machine may comprise multiple actual or video-simulated side-by-side reels which, in play of a game, are rotatable about a common horizontal axis within a housing behind a window at the win zone. Each reel has symbols at equally spaced positions around its periphery and the reels can be brought to rest with one symbol on each reel displayed through the window on a win line.
For play of the game the machine has to be actuated by credit of a predetermined game play stake, and if the displayed combination of symbols at the end of the game constitutes a predetermined winning combination a monetary award may be credited to the player. Available game play credit and award value are usually indicated on digital displays.
It is known to provide features, such as 'nudge' or 'hold' controls which can be used by the player to seek to influence selection of the displayed combination of symbols.
It is also well known to provide a supplementary display or 'feature game' which can be used to enhance the entertainment value of the machine and provide additional or alternative opportunities for winning.
Further, it is known to provide a gamble feature whereby an attained award can be gambled with the result that its value is increased or decreased.
Various functions of the fruit machine are usually controlled by player-operable press buttons. For example, there may be respective buttons for initiation of game play, nudge and hold of individual reels, transfer to a feature game, operation of a gamble feature, pay-out of accumulated award value, transfer of award value to game play credit. A three reel machine may have a row of say 8 press buttons.
The number of functions controlled by press buttons may differ for different machine models and with known machines, correspondingly, different numbers of buttons may be required. By way of example, where the player has the opportunity of selecting the game-play stake value to vary the award values, there may be different start buttons corresponding respectively to different stake values, say 25p and 50p.
However in the interests of standardisation of machine manufacture it is desirable to have the same number of press buttons for different machines and accordingly it is desirable for an individual button to be capable of controlling multiple machine functions.
Conventional fruit machine press buttons incorporate lamps which can be actuated to illuminate printed information or images displayed at the outer touch surface or cap of the button. The lamp may be switched on, or flashed, to indicate that the button is available for use to control the respective machine function. Thus, a lamp in a 'start' button may be flashed to illuminate the word 'start' when the button is available for use to initiate game play.
Accordingly, use of the same button for controlling multiple machine functions desirably would require corresponding capability for change of displayed information or images. It is indeed known to use split buttons whereby different parts of the button can be used for different functions but this is an expensive and complicated solution, and is less convenient because a smaller operational area is presented to the player.
An object of the present invention is to provide a press button particularly for an entertainment machine which can be used for controlling multiple different machine functions, and which can correspondingly display different information or images and which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to install and use.
Accordingly to the invention therefore there is provided a press button for controlling a plurality of different functions, said button comprising an electrical switch part incorporating an electrical switch, a button part with a display region mounted relative to the switch part, said button part incorporating a movable button which can be pushed to operate the switch, and an illumination device operable to illuminate the display region characterised in that there is provided a plurality of images at the display region having different colour properties, and the illumination device is operable for selectively illuminating the images with light of different colours, whereby each image is selectively viewable by illumination thereof with light of a respective said colour.
With this arrangement two or more different images can be displayed on the same press button whereby the button can conveniently be used to control two or more functions. In so far as the capability of the button to display different images derives simply from use of different coloured images and different coloured light the button can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.
The use of different coloured images and light to give different displays is described in GB 2287347 . This prior disclosure is directed to a fruit machine feature display rather than a press button but reference is made to this prior specification for examples of materials and structures which can be used in the present invention.
The illumination is preferably effected by back illumination of transparent or translucent materials.
In a particularly preferred embodiment two images printed on a transparent sheet are back-illuminated with light selected from two different colours. The transparent sheet may be formed from a clear plastics material.
The illumination colours may be the same respectively as the image colours.
The colours may be essentially mutually exclusive or primary colours, particularly red and blue whereby each colour image is seen as black or otherwise dark when illuminated by the other colour light.
There may be areas between and/or around or as part of the colour images which are preferably transparent or white whereby such areas are viewed in the colour of whichever illuminating light is being used.
Also, there may be black or dark areas or background around or alongside the images into which merges that image which appears black or dark when illuminated.
With regard to the illumination device this may be of any suitable form and thus may comprise one or more filament lamps, LEDs, OLEDs or other devices. The different light colours may be derived from different intrinsic properties of the (or each) device e.g. different colour properties of one or more LEDs and/or by use of different filters.
With regard to the structure of the push button this may be a panel-mountable button having the switch part arranged to be mounted beneath a panel and the button part mounted above the panel, a spring loaded actuating member extending through a hole in the panel for transmission of movement between the button and the switch.
By way of example, reference is made to GB 2350722A which describes a suitable press button structure.
Thus, for example, the button may have a threaded tubular sleeve which extends through the panel opening and which can be clamped to the panel by a nut engaged with the sleeve beneath the panel, and an enlarged collar or bezel which is integrated with an outer end of the sleeve and engages the top surface of the panel. The switch and illumination device may be mounted at the inner end region of the sleeve, the button being held captive at the outer end within the bezel, and the spring loaded actuator member extending through the sleeve and having feet or the like for operational engagement with an actuator member of the switch.
The colour images may be applied to the button e.g. by application to a disc or sheet mounted below the button which may be a transparent or translucent disc-shaped or rectangular or other shaped body. Alternatively or additionally the images may be applied to the bezel.
Other kinds of button structure may also be used.
It is visualised that the invention will find particular application in the context of an entertainment machine which is a fruit machine as hereinbefore described. However the invention is not restricted to this and the button may be used with any suitable kind of entertainment machine preferably coin operated whether of a random (or pseudo random) selection kind, an amusement with prizes kind, a skill with prizes kind or any other suitable kind of gaming or non-gaming entertainment machine. Also, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to entertainment machines and the button may be used with any other kind of machine or in any other suitable context where the same button is required to control two or more functions.
The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1: is a diagrammatic representation of a fruit machine with press buttons in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2: is a block circuit diagram of the machine; and
Figure 3: is a diagrammatic sectional view through one of the buttons of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the fruit machine of Figure 1 comprises a floor standing box-shaped housing 1 having a front wall which includes upper and lower screen-printed glass panels 2, 3 and below these a series of operating buttons 4. There is also a coin slot 5 and a pay-out opening 6.
Within the housing 1 there are three axially aligned drum-shaped reels 7 each having say 20 symbols printed at regularly spaced positions on a back-illuminated transparent or translucent reel band around the respective drum periphery. The reels 7 are axially rotatable and are drivably connected to respective stepper motors 8. The reels 7 are arranged behind a window defined by a transparent region of the lower glass panel 3. Each reel 7 can be arrested by the respective stepper motor 8 in any of 20 stopping positions in which one symbol is in precise registration with a horizontal win line in the centre of the window and two further symbols are visible above and below the win line.
The stepper motors 8 are connected to a microprocessor-based control unit 9. This unit is also connected to a coin-mechanism 10, a pay-out mechanism 11, digital displays 13 on one of the glass panels 2, 3, the buttons 4 and various lamps 12 behind printed display regions of the panels 2, 3 behind the reel bands and in the buttons 4.
In use, the player inserts coins into the coin mechanism 10 through the slot 5 sufficient to generate credit for one or more games, as shown on the digital display 13, and the machine is actuated so that a game can now be played. The game commences after the start button 4 has been pressed and the reels 7 spin and then come to rest so as to select at random (or pseudo-random) a combination of symbols displayed on the win line. The displayed symbol combination is assessed by the control unit 9 and a win indication is given in the event that the combination is of a predetermined winning nature. Attainment of a win may result in credit of monetary value which is accumulated and shown on the display 13.
The upper panel 2 may show a supplementary game feature, e.g. the panel may have a track 14a containing successive track zones which can be individually illuminated by lamps behind the panel 2 to simulate advancement along the track and/or attainment of supplementary winning features at predetermined said zones.
There may also be a displayed gamble feature 14b.
The buttons 4 are used to initiate game play and to control various machine functions at different stages. Thus the buttons can be used to initiate game play, nudge or hold the reels, transfer play to the feature game, operate the gamble feature, transfer credit from accumulated winnings to game-play credit, pay-out winnings, and so on.
The buttons 4 are illuminated, with constant or flashing illumination, to indicate availability of the button for use and also to provide information as to the machine function to be controlled. Thus, for example, one button 4 may be a start button whereby the word 'start' is flashed when the button can be used to initiate game play.
The structure of each button is shown in Figure 3.
The buttons are mounted along a strip-shaped front panel 15 of the machine housing extending through circular holes 16 in the panel.
The button has a main body part 17 which has a cylindrical sleeve 18 threaded on its outer surface and having a diameter slightly smaller than the hole 16.
The sleeve 18 is of constant diameter throughout and at one end there is an integral flange or bezel 19 projecting radially outwardly from the sleeve 18 and having a flat radial under surface 20.
This bezel may be circular or rectangular or of any other shape.
As shown, the sleeve 18 is inserted through the hole 16 and is held in position with the undersurface 20 engaging the outer surface of the panel 15 by means of a nut 21 around the sleeve 18 engaging the undersurface of the panel 15.
Within the bottom end of the sleeve 18 there is fixed a switch part 22 e.g. by means of a bayonet fixing or the like. This switch part comprises a microswitch 23 beneath the bottom end of the sleeve 18 and a lamp holder 24 on top of the switch extending into the sleeve 18. The lamp holder 24 supports two lamps or LEDs 25, 26 respectively capable of providing red and blue illumination.
At the top end of the sleeve 18 within the bezel 19 there is a button 27 comprising a transparent or translucent body of the same shape as the bezel. The button 27 is held captive within the bezel 19 so as to be capable of limited sliding movement axially of the sleeve and bezel. Immediately beneath the button 27 there is a similarly shaped sheet 28 of translucent or transparent plastics material printed with images.
The images respectively have blue parts and red parts, and both images may have white parts, and around the images the sheet 28 may be black or other dark colour.
Beneath the button 27 (with the sheet 28) there is a tubular member 29 which engages at its top end the underside of the button 27 and sheet 28, and at its bottom end has outwardly turned feet 30 which project beneath and outwardly of the bottom end of the sleeve 18, one such foot 30 being in alignment with an actuating member of the microswitch 23. A helical coil spring 31 is located between the tubular member 29 and the sleeve 18 to urge the member 29 upwardly.
The top surface of the button 27 can be pressed to cause the button 27, sheet 28, member 29 to move downwardly against the spring 31 to actuate the switch 23 through contact of the foot 30 with the switch actuating member. Release of the button 27 deactuates the switch.
The lamps 25, 26, which form part of the aforesaid lamps 12 connected to the control system 9, when actuated cause light to be transmitted along the tubular member 29 to the underside of the sheet 28 which is thereby illuminated.
This illumination causes one or other of the images printed on the sheet 28 to be seen through the button 27.
That is, if the red lamp 25 is actuated the image with red parts can be seen in its entirety. The blue parts of the blue image appear black and merge with the black surroundings. White or transparent parts of the blue image appear red. Similarly, if the blue lamp 26 is actuated the blue image is displayed and the red image is concealed.
Illumination of the respective red and blue lamps 25, 26 for each button 4 is controlled by the control system 9 depending on the stage in the game played on the machine or the setting of the machine. That is one or more of the buttons may be used to control two functions and for that button the appropriate lamp 25, 26 is actuated to give a display appropriate to the function to be controlled.
By way of example, where the machine can be used with a 25p or 50p game play stake, the start button may have a red image 25p START and a blue image 50p START, the appropriate lamp colour being selected depending on which stake value is used.
As another example, the start button may also be used to enable the player to transfer accumulated winnings to game play credit. Thus, there may be two images: a blue image START, and a red image TRANSFER TO CREDIT. Before play of a game, when there is sufficient credit for a game play stake, the START image may be illuminated with the blue lamp 26. When there is insufficient game play credit, but there are accumulated winnings, the TRANSFER TO CREDIT image may be illuminated with the red lamp 25 to alert the player to the transfer possibility.
All buttons 4 may have dual usage, or only one or some. In the latter case buttons 4 not having dual usage may be modified to replace the lamps 25, 26 with a single colour source of illumination, or a conventional single image button 4 may be used.
In any case it will be understood that the machine can be manufactured to take the same number of buttons for different machine models, differences in control of machine functions being accommodated by use of one or more dual usage buttons.
It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment, which are described by way of example only. Thus for example, more than two images with correspondingly more than two light colours may be used. Also the button of the invention is not restricted to use with an entertainment machine but may be used in any other suitable context.

Claims

A press button for controlling a plurality of different functions, said button comprising an electrical switch part incorporating an electrical switch (23), a button part with a display region (28) mounted relative to the switch part, said button part incorporating a movable button (27) which can be pushed to operate the switch, and an illumination device (25, 26) operable to illuminate the display region characterised in that there is provided a plurality of images at the display region (28) having different colour properties, and the illumination device (25, 26) is operable for selectively illuminating the images with light of different colours, whereby each image is selectively viewable by illumination thereof with light of a respective said colour.
A press button according to claim 1 characterised in that the illumination is effected by back illumination of transparent or translucent materials (28).
A press button according to claim 2 characterised in that two images printed on a transparent sheet (28) are back-illuminated with light selected from two different colours.
A press button according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the illumination colours are the same respectively as the image colours.
A press button according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the colours are essentially mutually exclusive or primary colours whereby each colour image is seen as black or dark when illuminated by the other colour light.
A press button according to claim 5 characterised in that the colours are red and blue.
A press button according to claim 5 or 6 characterised in that there are black or dark areas or background around or alongside the images into which merges that image which appears black or dark when illuminated.
A press button according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterised in that the press button is a panel-mountable button having the switch part arranged to be mounted beneath a panel (15) and the button part mounted above the panel, a spring loaded actuating member (29) extending through a hole (16) in the panel (15) for transmission of movement between the button (27) and the switch (23).
A press button according to claim 8 characterised in that the button (27) has a threaded tubular sleeve (18) which extends through the panel opening (16) and which can be clamped to the panel (15) by a nut (21) engaged with the sleeve (18) beneath the panel (15), and an enlarged collar or bezel (19) which is integrated with an outer end of the sleeve and engages the top surface of the panel.
A press button according to claim 9 characterised in that the switch (23) and illumination device (25, 26) is mounted at the inner end region of the sleeve (18), the button being held captive at the outer end within the bezel (19), and the spring loaded actuator member (29) extending through the sleeve (18) and having feet (30) for operational engagement with an actuator member of the switch (23).
A coin-operated entertainment machine incorporating a press button according to any one of claims 1 to 10 which is used to control two or more functions.
A coin-operated entertainment machine according to claim 11 which is a fruit machine having multiple actual or video-simulated side-by-side reels which, in play of a game, are rotatable about a common horizontal axis within a housing behind a window at the win zone.