GB2050028A - Entertainment Machines - Google Patents

Abstract

An entertainment machine, particularly a coin-operated fruit machine, can be operated by a player to give moving displays at different display regions, the aim being to attain a winning combination of fixed such displays at the end of a game. A player control (12a, 12b, 12c) is provided which can be operated at the start of a game to match two or more of the displays and then hold same until the end of the game. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Entertainment Machines This invention relates to entertainment machines including both gaming and non-gaming amusement machines of the kind, hereinafter referred to as the kind defined, which can be operated by a player at the start of a game, preferably only after actuation of the machine by insertion of one or more coins or tokens into a coin mechanism thereof, to initiate performance of first machine operation represented by visual displays of a moving or changing nature at a plurality of display regions on the machine, such first operations terminating at random at the end of the game in a combination of fixed visual displays at such regions, and which is arranged to perform further operations resulting in a win indication in the event that said combination of fixed displays at the end of the game is of a predetermined nature.

With an entertainment machine of the kind defined which is a fruit machine and utilises a plurality of rotatable reels with symbols (such as pictures of fruit) around the periphery of same to provide the moving visual displays, it is known to provide player-operable hold controls, one for each reel, which when operated at the start of a first game act to hold the or each associated reel against rotation during the course of the game. In this way the player can try to improve his chance of winning in such game. For example, in the case of a three-reel fruit machine, where two like fruit are displayed on two reels at the end of a first game and a combination of three such fruit constitutes a winning combination, the player may operate the hold controls to hold the two reels showing the two like fruit and allow only the third reel to rotate during the following game.

With this known arrangement, the hold controls contribute to the entertainment value of the machine but it will be appreciated that such contribution cannot be wholly effective on all occasions on which the hold facility is made available, since there may be little or no advantage in using the hold facility in the case where, for example, the fruit displayed at the end of a first game gre all different and all winning combinations require the presence of a plurality of fruit of the same kind.

An object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the kind defined which is provided with an improved player-operable control of the kind which can be used at the start of a game to enable the player to try to improve his chance of obtaining a winning combination in the course of the game, whereby the entertainment value of the machine can be appreciably increased.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a machine of the kind defined having at least one player-operable control which is operable at the start of a game to cause a fixed display to be produced at at least one said display region which bears a predetermined relationship to a fixed display at at least one other said display region, and a hold function arranged to hold said fixed displays during the course of the said game.

With this arrangement, it is possible for the player to take action at the start of a game such as to improve his chance of success in the course of the game, even in the case where no two fixed displays at the end of the preceding game form part of a winning combination. Accordingly, the provision of the or each said player-operable control in the machine of the invention can appreciably contribute to the entertainment value thereof.

Most preferably the machine of the invention is a fruit machine utilising a plurality (usually three or four) rotatable reels with symbols (such as pictures of fruit) around the periphery of same to provide the moving visual displays, and in this case winning combinations may require the presence of a plurality of fruit of the same kind and the or each said player-operable control may be arranged to produce a fixed display at the or each said one display region which is a fruit of like kind to the fruit displayed at the said other display region. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to this kind of machine, and the machine of the invention may utilise moving members other than reels, or may utilise a changing display not involving moving members such as a changing pattern of illuminated lamps or a changing vdu display.Also, the display may involve symbols other than fruit and may involve any kind of winning combination thereof.

Whilst reference is made to operation of the or each player-operable control at the start of a game, it is to be understood that operation of the or each control may be made available either as an operation forming part of the said game or, alternatively, if desired, as an operation forming a preliminary to commencement of the said game.

The or each said control may be made available at the start of every game, or, in a predetermined and/or random manner only at the start of some games. Also, the nature of the action initiated by operation of the or each said control may vary, for example, in that on some occasions the display at only one display region can be changed, and on other occasions the display at more than one region can be changed.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a front panel of one form of a machine according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the construction of such machine.

The machine is a fruit machine having three reels 1 a, 1 b, 1 C which are rotatable within a housing behind a window 2 in a front panel 3 thereof. Each reel 1 has pictures of fruit (designated A, B, C) at 20 positions around the periphery of same, and rotation of each reel is initiated and also arrested by a solenoid device 4 having a pawl engageable with teeth around the edge of the reel. Actuation of the solenoid 4 causes the pawl to be withdrawn from engagement with the teeth and to cause the reel 1 to rotate freely, and deactuation of the solenoid causes the pawl to drop back into engagement with the teeth to arrest the reel in one of 20 stopping positions thereof in which one of the pictures of fruit on the periphery of same is in precise registration with the window 2.Each stopping position is identified by a respective coded arrangement of holes in a side wall of the reel and the codes are read by a bank of photosensitive devices 5 which receive light from a light source or sources through the holes.

In use, the machine is actuated by a player by insertion of one or more coins or tokens into a coin mechanism 6 and a starter button 7 is pressed to operate a control unit 8 which causes the three reels 1 to be set in rotation for different random periods of time. When the reels come to rest, the stopping positions thereof are identified by the photosensitive devices 5 in conjunction with data processing circuitry 9 and a win indication is produced which may actuate a payout mechanism 10 in the event that the identified stopping positions correspond to the display of a predetermined winning combination of fruit (say three fruit of the same kind) through the window 2.

When the machine is actuated for the next following game, on a random basis, an indicator 11 may be illuminated on the front panel 3 of the machine which informs the player that a control facility is available to him. Beneath each reel 1 on the front panel, there is a respective control button 1 2a, 1 2b, 1 2c, and, when the indicator 11 is illuminated and before playing said next following game, the player may press one of the buttons 12 in an attempt to improve his chance of winning in such following game.

When one of the buttons is pressed, say the left hand button 1 2a, the pertaining reel (i.e. the left hand reel 1 a) does not rotate but one of the other reels (say the middle reel 1 b) is set in rotation and continues rotating until the pertaining bank of photosensitive devices 5 determines that such other reel 1 b is at a position at which the fruit on such other reel as displayed through the window 2 is the same as the displayed fruit of the first mentioned reel 1 a. The other reel 1 b is then arrested in this position. If the player now operates the start button 7 to play a game, only the third reel 1 C rotates, the other two reels 1 a, 1 b being held in position.In this way the player can take action to improve his chance of winning in a particular game and, unlike the conventional arrangement in which merely a hold facility is made available, this improvement can be achieved even in the case where the reels at the end of the preceding game display three different fruit.

When the control button (say 1 2a) is pressed, the determination of which of the other eels (say 1 h or 1 c) is to be set in rotation may be effected on a random basis or in accordance with a predetermined order of priority.

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, when one control button (say 1 2a) is pressed, on all occasions on which the control facility is made available or alternatively on only some occasions as determined in a predetermined manner or on a random basis, both of the other reels (say 1 b and 1 c) may be set in rotation and then brought to rest at positions at which all three reels display the same fruit whereby a win in the next game is guaranteed.

Also, it is possible to separate the display matching and hold functions whereby in a first piayer-effected operation at least one reel 1 is moved to a position at which the fruit displayed thereon matches the fruit displayed on a hold reel, and in a second player-effected operation the attained position of such moved reel is held. In this case there may be separate hold and match controls or the same controls may function for both purposes. It is also possible for the arrangement to be such that on some occasions only a conventional hold facility is made available whereas on other occasions a match and hold facility as described above is made available.

Further, the controls utilised to achieve matching and holding as mentioned above need not be arranged as separate controls individually associated both in terms of physical proximity and in terms of function with the respective reels.

Thus, the arrangement may be such that there is a single matching control which when operated effects matching of a predetermined (or randomly selected) number of the reels in a predetermined (or randomly selected) manner; and such control may also perform the requisite holding function or alternatively separate hold controls may be provided for the individual reels. Alternatively, the arrangement may be such that individual matching and hold controls may be provided for the respective reels as described above but, unlike the arrangement described above, operation of one control causes the adjacerit reel to move to effect matching of the display of same with a predetermined (or randomly selected) one of the other reels.

Claims (6)

Claims

1. A machine of the kind defined having at least one player-operable control which is operable at the start of a game to cause a fixed display to be produced at at least one said display region which bears a predetermined relationship to a fixed display at at least one other said display region, and a hold function arranged to hold said fixed displays during the course of the said game.

2. A machine according to claim 1, which is a coin-operated fruit machine utilising a plurality of rotatable reels with symbols around the peripheries thereof to provide the visual displays.

3. A machine according to claim 1, which is a coin-operated fruit machine utilising a changing vdu display.

4. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the or each said player-operable control is arranged to produce matched fixed displays at the pertaining display regions.

5. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein operation of the or each said control is made available on a random basis.

6. A machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.