GB2061585A - Gaming machines - Google Patents

Abstract

An entertainment machine, such as a fruit machine, has a number of rotatable reels. These reels can be stopped at random at predetermined stopping positions and a position identifying system is provided for identifying the positions of the members when stopped. This identification system may utilise, for each reel, code-reading structures such as coded patterns of holes (24, 25) in a disc (6) which rotates with the reel (1), and code-reading devices such as light sensors (23) which are disposed at fixed positions at one side of the disc (6) and receive light from a source (21) on the opposite side of the disc transmitted through the holes in the disc. The arrangement is such that code-reading is effected whilst the reels (1) are rotating. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Position detection or rotatable members of coin-operated entertainment machines This invention relates to a coin-operated (or coin-freed) entertainment machine of the kind having a plurality of members mounted on a support structure so as to be rotatable relative thereto through a plurality of predetermined stopping positions, means operable to effect said rotation and subsequently to cause the members to stop in one of said stopping positions, and an electrical position identifying system for identifying said ones of said stopping positions, said position identifying system comprising for each said member a codereading device and a plurality of code structures which can be read by the device, said device and said structures being arranged one movable with the rotatable member and the other fixed relative to the said support structure, and their being different arrangements of said code structures corresponding respectively to different ones of said stopping positions of the member.

The invention is more particularly although not exclusively, concerned with a coin-freed gaming-type entertainment machine of the kind known as a fruit machine in which each said member is a drum or disc (or reel) which is provided with symbols, such as fruit, around the periphery thereof and can be rotated for a period of time before being brought to rest at one of say 20 stopping positions thereof to display for example through a window of a cabinet of the machine one or more of said symbols.

A fruit machine usually has three or four such reels and in use, during play of a game, the reels may rotate for different random periods of time and display when stopped a randomly selected combination of symbols.

The position identifying system is used to provide a machine interpretable identification of the selected symbols whereby a win mechanism such as a pay-out device can be actuated in the event that the displayed combination of symbols corresponds to a predetermined winning combination.

A known position identifying system, as described in Patent No. 1,368,622 comprises coded clusters of holes in radially extending walls of the reels, which clusters are "read" with a code-reading arrangement comprising light sources and light sensors on opposite sides of the walls.

With this known arrangement, however, the clusters are only read when the reels have been brought to rest.

An object of the present invention is to provide a more versatile position identifying system.

According to the present invention therefore there is provided a coin-operated entertainment machine having a plurality of members mounted on a support structure so as to be rotatable relative thereto through a plurality of predetermined stopping positions, means operable to effect said rotation and subsequently to cause the members to stop in one of said stopping positions, and an electrical position identifying system for identifying said ones of said stopping positions, said position identifying system comprising for each said member a code-reading device and a plurality of code structures which can be read by the device, said device and said structures being arranged one movable with the rotatable member and the other fixed relative to the said support structure, and their being different arrangements of said code structures corresponding respectively to different ones of said stopping positions of the member, characterised in that for each said member the code-reading device is adapted to read the code structures whilst the member is rotating.

With this arrangement, since there is no need to wait for each rotatable member to stop before reading the code structures, a wider more rapidly available range of information can be provided and therefore the position detection system has greater versatility.

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 perspective view of one form of an entertainment machine according to the invention; Figure 2 is an end view of a reel assembly of the machine; Figure 3 is a plan view of the arrangement of Fig. 2 with parts omitted for the sake of clarity; Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the position identifying system of the machine; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a modification of the position identifying system.

The entertainment machine is a fruit machine having a cabinet 30 containing three reels rotatable behind a window 31 and having control buttons 32, a coin or token inlet slot 33 leading to an internal coin-freed mechanism and an outlet chute 34 leading from an internal pay-out mechanism. Each reel comprises a drum 1 which may be formed from plastics material and has one circular end wall 2 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 3.

The drum 1 is secured to an axially extending central boss 4 which is rotatably mounted on a shaft fixed on a support structure 5. This structure 5 may be in the form of a rigid metal plate extending parallel to the wall 2 of the drum 1. Within the drum 1, an aluminium disc 6 is fixed on the boss 4 and extends parallel to the end wall 2. The disc 6 as shown in Fig. 3 has 20 V-shaped teeth 7 cut at regular intervals around its entire periphery, 20 V-shaped cut-outs 8 being defined be tween the teeth 7.An electromagnetic indexing device 9 is mounted on the support structure 5 and this device has a solenoid operated catch finger 10 with a roller at the end thereof which is normally held spaced from the teeth 7 so as to permit free rotation of the disc 6 but which can be moved forwards, on de-energisation of the solenoid of the device 9, to engage a cut-out 8 between two teeth 7 and thereby prevent rotation of the disc 6.

A coil arrangement 11 is also mounted on the support structure 5 adjacent the disc 6 for driving the disc rotatably and reversibly in the manner of a rotary linear motor (the disc 6 forming a rotor of such motor) and a permanent magnet arrangement 1 9 comprising permanent magnets and a U-shaped return flux plate straddles the disc 6, for limiting the rotary speed thereof. Reference is made to U.K. Patent Application No. 2035648 and also 7936289 for a further description of this feature.

The drum 1 has symbols at 20 positions around the outer surface of the cylindrical wall 3.

Identification of the stopping positions of the drum 1 of the reel assembly is effected using a code-reading position identification system comprising a bank of five light sources (say LED's) 21 mounted on one arm of a stirrup 22 which is fixed to the support structure 5 so that the light sources extend within the drum 1 on one side of the disc 6, and a bank of light sensors 23 (such as phototransistors) which are mounted on an opposite arm of the stirrup on the opposite side of the disc 6. The light sources are aligned respectively with the sensors. The disc 6 is provided with a particular arrangement of one or more holes at each of 20 positions around same such that one such arrangement is positioned between the light sources and the sensors in each stopping position so that light can be transmitted from a particular combination of the light sources through the holes to the sensors.As can be seen from Fig. 3, each arrangement of holes (only some of which 24, 25 are shown) comprises a radially extending row of-a maximum of five thereof thereby defining a 5-bit code made up of light transmitting and light opaque regions of the disc 6, and the holes are positioned at appropriate ones of five different regularly spaced circumferential portions of the disc. The light sources and sensors are correspondingly arranged.

The coded arrangements of holes may be such that there is a different combination for each of the 20 stopping positions or alternatively such that there is a different combination for each different kind of symbol applied to the periphery of the drum (each symbol appearing more than once around the drum).

Adjacent each arrangement of holes for each stopping position there is a single hole 26, and mounted on the stirrup there is a further light source and a further sensor on opposite sides of the disc 6. As the disc rotates, the holes 26 pass between such further light source and sensor permitting transmission of light therebetween. The holes 26 and associated light source and sensor provide information with regard to the positioning of the cutouts 8 to ensure that actuation of the indexing device 9 occurs at the appropriate time.

With the radial arrangement of the holes 24, 25 and of the corresponding light sources 21 and sensors 23, it will be appreciated that all holes are presented simultaneously for code-reading purposes. Thus, code-reading can be achieved whilst the drums are rotating and accordingly it is possible to determine in advance the identity of a symbol corresponding to a particular stopping position before action is taken to stop the drum at such position.

As shown in Fig. 4 the machine incorporates electronic control circuitry which uses a central processing unit such as a microprocessor MPU which has connected thereto appropriate processor power supply and auxiliary control devices 35, memory devices 36 and an input/output interface device i/o. The interface device i/o is connected to input devices 37 such as the controls and the coin mechanism and output devices 37 such as pay-out solenoids, indicator lamps and the like. The interface device i/o is also connected to the light sources 21, 26 and the light sensors 23 of the different reel assemblies and also the indexing mechanisms 9 thereby to control operation of such mechanisms 9 and also to interpret and evaluate position identifying and indexing data from the light sensors 23. For a further description of suitable electronic circuitry reference is made to U.K. Patent 1,545,301.

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, instead of using six sensors and light sources to read the position coding holes 24, 25 and the auxiliary holes 26, it is possible to use only five sensors/ light sources, the outermost such sensor/ light source being used to read both kinds of holes. If desired, one or more position coding holes at each stopping position may be used additionally as the auxiliary holes.

Further, and as shown in Fig. 5, if a light source 21 is used which has an adequate spread of illumination it may be possible to use a single light source for all holes.

Still further, one of the holes already mentioned particularly the auxiliary holes 26, or additional holes one for each stopping position may be used to provide a"strobe" or "clock" signal which acts to ensure that the position identification system is operational for code-reading purposes only when the code holes are in alignment with the sensors.

Instead of holes used to control transmission of light from a source to sensors it is possible to use other position identifying arrangements using any suitable electrical light sensing arrangement for example utilising concepts as described in U.K. Patents 1,579,731 and 1,579,732 or any other suitable kind of proximity detection arrangement.

Claims (10)

1. A coin-operated entertainment machine having a plurality of members mounted on a support structure so as to be rotatable relative thereto through a plurality of predetermined stopping positions, means operable to effect said rotation and subsequently to cause the members to stop in ones of said stopping positions, and an electrical position identifying system for identifying said ones of said stopping positions, said position identifying system comprising for each said member a codereading device and a plurality of code structures which can be read by the device, said device and said structures being arranged one movable with the rotatable member and the other fixed relative to the said support struc Sure, and there being different arrangements of said code structures corresponding respectively to different ones of said stopping positions of the member, characterised in that for each said member the code reading device is adapted to read the code structures whilst the member is rotating.

2. A machine according to claim 1, characterised in that for each said member the code structures of each said different arrangement are disposed side-by-side radially with regard to the axis of rotation of the member and the code-reading device is adapted to read all such structures simultaneously.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each said arrangement of code structures defines a 5-bit identification code.

4. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said code structures comprise light transmitting regions and opaque regions and said code-reading device comprises light sensors and at least one light source such sensors being arranged to receive light from the source or sources through said light transmitting regions.

5. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that for each member the said code structures are provided on a disc separate to the member but connected to same so as to be rotatable therewith.

6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein indexing means is provided for stopping the disc and hence the member in any of the said predetermined stopping positions thereof, characterised in that code elements are provided on the disc respectively in correspondence with the stopping positions thereof and a code element detector is fixed alongside the disc and is operable to control operation of the indexing means in synchronism with detection of the code elements.

7. A machine according to claim 6, characterised in that one or more code structures of each said arrangement is utilised as the said code eleanent and the pertaining code-reading device is used as the code element detector.

8. A machine according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that for each member the said disc is utilised as the rotor of an electrical drive motor for such member.

9. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that for each member there is a respective arrangement of said code structures for each said stopping position and such arrangements are arranged to be read by the code-reading device respectively in advance of the member reading the pertaining stopping positions.

10. A machine according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.