FR2723231A1 - GAME TOKEN - Google Patents

Abstract

A gambling or casino chip comprising a body (60) with a plastic ring (62) injected around a weighting disc (64). The body (60) is provided with two remotely detectable discs (70, 72). Said body (60) has two central recesses (66, 68) containing two detectable adhered labels (70, 72) consisting of a sandwich made up of an outer reinforcing layer (73-77), an oriented thin alloy film (75-79) enabling detection in a walk-through detector with an electromagnetic field, and two transfer adhesive layers (74-78, 76-80). To improve detection, the thin films (75, 79) are positioned at right angles to one another on the chip.

Description

GAME TOKEN
The present invention relates to gambling chips also called casino chips. By game token is meant any element usable in a games room and representing a predetermined nominal value or not, whether it is a disc-shaped token itself or a game board generally representative of a high stake. These tokens are classified into two families according to the type of games for which they are used, "French or European" tokens with predetermined value and "American" tokens with or without predetermined value.

Generally, the tokens are made of rigid, scratch-resistant plastic. The tokens have varied designs and colors to reduce the risk of falsification and / or fraudulent reproduction.

In addition to the fraud problem mentioned above, casino operators are very often faced with the theft of tokens and / or plates. The invention aims to combat the theft of tokens by proposing a game token or similar device comprising a body provided with at least one element detectable from a distance. Detection can be carried out, for example, in exit control during the passage of the token through a gantry or detection gate whose effective width is of the order of 80 centimeters.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the detectable element consists of a film or of a thin filament made of active material sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. The use of this type of detectable element is well suited to tokens or game plates, in that the detectable element is not liable to a loss of its detection character over time (and / or under the effect of an external "passivation") and in that the thin thickness of the film or filament is fairly favorable for its integration into the body of the token.

Advantageously, to improve detection, the token comprises at least two detectable elements oriented to 900 (to within a few degrees). This arrangement allows the detection of the token despite its various positions in space.

According to a first alternative embodiment of the invention, each detectable element is associated with one or more reinforcing sheets or plies (for example labels made of plastic material) to produce a detectable sub-assembly integrated or fixed to the body of the token. Advantageously, the detectable sub-assembly consists of a sandwich structure comprising one or more thin films, at least one sheet or reinforcement ply and at least one layer of transfer adhesive.

According to a second alternative embodiment of the invention, the token comprises two detectable elements in the form of a filament arranged in grooves made 90 "through a central plastic reinforcement sheet covered on each side with a side sheet reinforcement, the plastic sheets being joined together by gluing, cold welding or cold rolling.

According to a third alternative embodiment of the invention, the token comprises two detectable elements in the form of oriented thin films arranged at 900, separated by at least one layer of transfer adhesive and covered on the outside with two lateral plastic sheets fixed by two lateral layers of transfer adhesive. Advantageously, these thin films associated with the layers of adhesive and with the lateral reinforcement sheets are cut to give a patch of detectable sandwich structure, preferably circular, placed in a corresponding hole made through the body of the token, the patch being secured to the body of the plastic token by hot compression, the thickness of the detectable patch being slightly less than that of the body of the token.

 It should be noted that in the three alternative embodiments of the invention, the detectable filaments and / or thin films are protected beforehand from being crushed (and therefore from destruction) before being truly integrated or fixed to the body of the token. This protection operation leads to the production of a detectable sub-assembly which, as will appear in the description below, can take various forms, for example detectable label or disc in sandwich structure, or detectable plate core.

The invention also relates to the methods of manufacturing tokens and playing or casino plates presented above.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the following description of the three alternative embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the attached drawings in which: the Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the detectable core of a casino plate body according to the present invention; FIG. 2 represents an exploded perspective view of a detectable sandwich structure used to produce a detectable tablet for casino chips according to the present invention; Figure 3 shows an exploded perspective view of a plate body incorporating the detectable patch illustrated in Figure 2; Figure 4 shows a front view of a detectable injection molded casino token according to the present invention; and FIG. 5 represents a view in diametral section along a plane perpendicular to the token illustrated in FIG. 4 and exploded perspective views of the two detectable labels fixed to the token.

FIG. 1 represents an exploded view of the detectable core 10 of a game or casino plate. For information only, the plate has dimensions of 8 x 12 cm and about 6 mm thick. The body of the plastic plate is produced by laminating cellulose acetate sheets of thicknesses chosen between 1/10 mm and a few millimeters. The outer sheets are generally transparent to reveal the decoration of each side of the plate. After laminating the sheets, the final shape of the plate is obtained by thermoforming which also makes it possible to give relief on the faces of the plate. In the context of the present invention, the laminating of the acetate sheets is carried out from the detectable core 10 presented in detail below.

The detectable core 10 integrates two filaments of detectable active material of the order of 1 mm in width and with a thickness of several tens of microns. The active material consists of an alloy, for example based on Iron / Cobalt, which under the action of an electromagnetic field charges at the surface; these charges modify the radiated field and therefore create a disturbance which is detected by a detection portal. By way of example of a detection portal usable with tokens and plates according to the present invention, the detection portal consists of two pairs of antennas with a passage width of 80 cm.

Each antenna contains two transmitters and six reception coils. The antennas work in common low frequency (15 Hz) and in high frequency (7.5 KHZ for one antenna and 5 KHz for the opposite antenna). These antennas emit several superimposed electromagnetic fields and constantly self-adjust to the site's electromagnetic environment to maintain an optimal level of detection. When a detectable token passes, the detectable element integrated in the token deflects these fields, the corresponding signal then being analyzed and verified to trigger an alarm. To improve detection whatever the position of the token in space, provision is made to use two detectable elements of approximately 40 mm arranged at right angles (900) to within a few degrees. Finally, it can be noted that the anti-theft protection of the detectable tokens according to the invention is permanent and recyclable because the active material used is non-demagnetizable.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the core 10 of the plate is structured from three reinforcing sheets 12, 22 and 24 made of cellulose acetate. The central reinforcing sheet of approximately 3/10 mm in thickness is traversed in its thickness by two grooves 14, 16 at least 40 mm long and arranged at 900. These grooves 14 and 16 wide of approximately 1 mm receive the filaments 18 and 20 in detectable active material. The two lateral reinforcing sheets 22 and 24, each about 5/10 mm thick, are joined to the central sheet 12 to trap the detectable filaments 18 and 20.

More precisely, the method of manufacturing the detectable core comprises the following operations: - cutting of the two grooves 14 and 16 through
a cellulose acetate sheet intended for
forming the central reinforcing sheet 12; - cold rolling on one side of the sheet
central reinforcement 12 of an acetate sheet of
cellulose forming the lateral reinforcing sheet 22; - placement of filaments 18 and 20 in the
grooves 14 and 16 and application of a solvent on
filaments 14 and 16; - cold rolling of the second reinforcement plate
lateral 24 on the other side of the central plate
12 so as to trap the filaments and obtain
a casino plate core of approximately 13 mm
thick.

The realization of the plate is finished by rolling around the core 10 of the acetate sheets in number, thickness and chosen color, then by trimming the plate, finally by thermoforming of the preformed assembly thus produced for get the final casino plaque.

The other alternative embodiments of the invention use a thin film of active material in place of the filament presented above. The material is however substantially identical to that used for the filaments, for example an Iron / Cobalt alloy, and has substantially the same detection capacity as the filaments provided that the film has an orientation intended to channel the charges induced on the surface substantially linearly. . In practice, the oriented thin film has on the surface parallel scratches or scratches spaced a few millimeters apart.

In the variants of the invention described below, the thin film detectable in active material used consists of a layer of active alloy, for example
Iron / Cobalt, a few microns thick placed on a support made of aluminum foil. The thin film which is presented in a strip several tens of centimeters wide has stripes with a pitch of 8 mm.

In a second variant embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a detectable subassembly is produced according to a sandwich structure detailed below and intended to be integrated in the form of a pellet in the body of a plate or a "French" type token. As will be seen, this procedure is well suited to "French" plates and tokens, the body of which is produced by laminating, welding or gluing sheets or sheets of plastic material, such as for example cellulose acetate sheets.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a stack 30 of various sheets, sheets or layers in large format (for example of dimension 500 × 500 mm) enabling the sandwich structure of the detectable subassembly to be produced. This stack comprises around a central reinforcing ply of polyester 32, two layers of double-sided transfer adhesive 34, 36, two thin detectable films 38, 40 oriented at 900, two layers of double-sided transfer adhesive 42, 44 and two lateral reinforcing sheets of cellulose acetate 46, 48.

More precisely, the process for manufacturing the detectable sandwich structure includes the following operations: - cutting the two thin films in large format
oriented detectable active ingredient 38, 40
suitably striped (see Figure 2, stripes 38a
and 40b); - front / back lamination of thin films 38, 40 in two
layers of transfer adhesive 34-42, 36-44; - fixing by adhesion of a polyester sheet 32
in large format between the two thin films 38, 40
covered with layers of adhesive, the orientation of
thin films being performed at 900 (a few degrees
near); - fixing by adhesion on both sides of this
partial stacking of two side sheets 46 and
48 cellulose acetate; - on request, until the desired thickness of
sandwich structure 30, fixing by welding to
cold side sheets 46 and 48 of acetate
cellulose (by laminating the sheets beforehand
coated with a solvent); - punching of detectable pellets 50
circular with a diameter of about 25 mm.

The incorporation of the detectable pellets 50 into two films in the body of a plate or a token is carried out as follows (see FIG. 3 which shows an exploded view of a body of a game plate equipped with a detectable patch 50): - manufacture by welding (for example by rolling)
cellulose acetate sheets from a plate
blank 52 of the plate and / or token body
of controlled thickness and slightly greater (by
example of 5/10 mm) to that of the sandwich structure
30 from which the pellets are cut; - drilling holes 54 in the blank plate
through diameter corresponding to that of
tablets, for example 25 mm; - placement of detectable pads 50 in the
holes 54; - securing the pellets 50 with the plate
blank 52 by heating and pressurizing between
two rectified trays allowing obtaining
flat and regular surfaces (the thickness of
pellets being slightly less than that of the
blank to prevent crushing and
destruction of detectable films); - sanding on both sides of the fitted blank plate
to eliminate any irregularities; - cold welding on both sides of the plate
blank 52 fitted with sheet pellets
side 56, 58 of cellulose acetate with or without
decor; - cutting out of the blank 52 of a certain
number of game tokens (with a diameter of around
45 mm) or play plates, taking care
to include in each token or plate cut to
at least one detectable patch 50; - thermoforming in a form tool with or without
relief of the token and / or the plate to its shape
final (the polyester sheet and the elasticity of
layers of adhesive protect thin films from
destruction); - clipping the token and / or the plate, if
necessary.

Finally, it should be noted that the presence of a central polyester reinforcing sheet in the detectable sandwich structure is not always necessary. As a variant, a modified sandwich structure is produced (similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2 without the polyester sheet 32) and in which the thin films are covered on each face with a layer of increased thickness of an adhesive transfer having viscosity and elasticity capacities capable of supporting limited crushing without destroying the thin films, it being noted that the aluminum sheets supporting the active material of the detectable thin films also contribute to the protection of these same thin films.

The third embodiment of the invention relates to game tokens with injected bodies, also called "American" tokens. In this type of token illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the body 60 consists of an annular crown 62 of plastic material overmolded on a central disc 64 forming ballast (for example brass) to define a recess on each side of the disc or a shallow circular cavity (66, 68), for example of the order of 0.5 mm.

The leveling of each face of the tokens is carried out by discs or detectable labels 70, 72 with a single detectable film, produced in a sandwich structure carrying a decoration and glued by adhesive, each label 70, 72 substantially filling the volume of a cavity 66, 68.

The crown is preferably made of polyamide PA-6 or PA-6.6 and can be the subject of successive injections of plastics of different colors in imprints of various intermediate shapes so as to produce a multicolored decoration (not shown) in the mass of the token body.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the sandwich structure of each disc or label detectable 70 and 72 with a single film, consisting of an external sheet 73, 77 of plastic material forming a support and carrying a printed decoration D, of a first layer of adhesive transfer 74, 78, of a detectable thin film oriented 75, 79 similar to the film used in the previous embodiment of the invention and already presented (the orientation being obtained by the scratches 75a and 79b in the layer of alloy with a pitch of 8 mm), and a second layer of transfer adhesive 76, 80. As before, care is taken when placing the two detectable labels 70, 72 simple film to position them so as to have the orientation of stripes 75a and 79b to 900 (to a few degrees) to improve detection.

More precisely, the process for manufacturing detectable labels includes the following operations: - cutting into a wide band of a detectable thin film
in suitably scratched active material; - front / back laminating of the thin film 75, 79 of a
layer of transfer adhesive 74-78, 76-80, the layer
adhesive 76, 80 intended to be in contact with the
disc of the token being covered with a sheet of
temporary protection; - laminating the complex (film + adhesive) obtained on a
printed support sheet 73, 77; - cutting with a die punch tool
labels 70, 72 in the form of tablets
about 20 mm in diameter corresponding to the
diameter of the central cavities of the tokens to be equipped
The invention is not limited to the use of two detectable elements at 90 "but relates to variants in which a single detectable element has an equivalent configuration and / or a single detectable element is associated with a detector gantry which is sensitive enough to ensure the detection sought.

Claims (13)

CLAIMS: 1. Game chip or similar device, characterized in that it comprises a body (10, 52, 60) provided with at least one detectable element at a distance (18-20, 38-40, 75-79). 2. Token according to claim 1, characterized in that the detectable element (18-20, 38-40, 75-79) consists of a film or a thin filament of active material sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. 3. Token according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises at least two detectable elements oriented at 900 (18-20, 38-40, 75-79). 4. Token according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the detectable element or elements (18-20, 38-40, 75-79) is or are associated with one or more reinforcing plies (12-24 -26, 32-46-48, 73-77) to produce a detectable sub-assembly (10, 50, 7072), preferably in the form of a patch or label, integrated or fixed to the body of the token. 5. Token according to claim 4, characterized in that the detectable sub-assembly (50, 70-72) is constituted by a sandwich structure (30), comprising one or more detectable thin films (38-40, 75-79) , at least one reinforcement ply (32, 46-48, 73-77) and at least one layer of transfer adhesive (34-36, 42-44, 7476-78-80). 6. Token according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that it comprises two detectable elements (18, 20) in the form of a filament arranged in two grooves (14, 16) formed at 900 through a sheet central plastic reinforcement (12) covered on each side with at least one side reinforcement sheet (22, 24), said plastic sheets (12, 22, 24) being joined together by gluing, cold welding or cold rolling. 7. Token according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that it comprises two detectable elements in the form of oriented thin films (38-40, 75-79) arranged at 90, separated by at least one layer of transfer adhesive (34-36, 75-80) and covered on the outside with two lateral reinforcement sheets (46-48, 73-77) made of plastic material fixed by two lateral layers (42-44, 74-78) of adhesive transfer. 8. Token according to claim 7, characterized in that the transfer adhesive layers have viscosity and elasticity capacities capable of withstanding limited crushing without destroying the thin films. 9. Token according to one of claims 7 and 8, characterized in that it comprises a central reinforcing sheet (32) disposed between the two thin films (38 40) 10. Token according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the thin films (38-40, 75-79) associated with the adhesive layers and the side reinforcement sheets are cut to give at least one detectable patch (50, 70-72) disposed in a through hole (54) or at least one corresponding recess (66-68) formed in the body of the token (52, 60) 11. Token according to claim 10, characterized in that the detectable patch (50) is secured by hot compression to the body (52) of the token made of plastic, the thickness of the detectable patch (50) being slightly less than the thickness of the body (52) of the token at the level of the through hole (54) before mounting of the detectable patch (50). 12. Token according to one of claims 10 and 11, characterized in that said body (52), made of plastic, is covered on its two faces, after mounting of said detectable patch (50), with two covering sheets (56, 58) also made of plastic joined together by cold rolling. 13. Token according to claim 12, characterized in that the body (52) of the token receives its final shape by thermoforming after laminating said two coating sheets (56, 58).