GB2083934A - Electronic Game-playing Machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A coin-released fruit machine incorporates a single-pole two-way switch 1 for initiating rotation of the reels on playing of a game. On depression of a button a movable contact 4 of the switch 1 is moved away from a fixed contact 2 thus causing a counter 6 to start counting clock pulses. The counting of the counter 6 is stopped when the movable contact 4 engages a further fixed contact 3. The resultant count value appearing at the output 9 of the counter 6 will be proportional to the time taken for the movable contact 4 to move between the two fixed contacts 2 and 3, and is hence dependent on the force applied to the button against the action of a spring. This count value is used to control some aspect of the game played so as to introduce or appear to introduce an element of skill into the playing of the game. The two-way switch may be replaced by two one-way microswitches connected in series. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electronic Game-playing Machines This invention relates to electronic gameplaying machines, and is more particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with electronic gaming machines of the type known as "fruit machines".

Fruit machines conventionally incorporate rotary or quasi-rotary members bearing fruit symbols and/or other symbols. In the course of a game the members are rotated or appear to be rotated in response to actuation by a player and, on subsequently coming to rest, display a combination of symbols through a viewing window. Originally the arrangement for rotating the rotary members was purely mechanical, being operated generally by pulling a handle, so that the player could influence the amount by which the members were rotated, and hence the result of the game, according to the force which he applied to the handle.However the arrangement for rotating the rotary members is now at least partly electronic, and the speed with which the members are rotated and the random positions in which the members stop are electronically determined, so that the player may no longer influence the result of the game in dependence on the manner in which he operates the actuating means. It is an object of the invention to provide an electronic game-playing machine which is such that an element of skill is involved or appears to be involved in the playing of a game.

According to the invention there is provided an electronic game-playing machine comprising an actuating member for controlling the game and/or at least one feature of the game and movable on actuation by a player between an inoperative state and an operative state, and a control circuit for sensing the speed and/or distance and/or force with which the actuating member is moved by the player between its inoperative and operative states and for supplying a control signal dependent on the sensed speed and/or distance and/or force to game-playing apparatus for use in controlling the game and/or feature.

Accordingly the form of the control signal will vary in accordance with the manner in which the player operates the actuating member, and may be used to control some aspect of the game played on a coin-released fruit machine or video game, for example, so as to introduce or appear to introduce an element of skill into the playing of the game.

In a preferred form of the invention the control circuit is adapted to monitor the time taken by the actuating member to travel between two fixed points and to supply a control signal dependent on this time. For example, the actuating member may be coupled to a switch comprising a movable contact constrained to travel between two fixed contacts. Alternatively the actuating member may be arranged to actuate a first switch on being moved out of its inoperative state and to actuate a second switch on being moved into its operative state. Since the distance between the fixed points or contacts is constant, the monitored time will be proportional to the speed at which the actuating member is moved, and, assuming that the actuating member is displaced against a frictional or spring force, the speed will be dependent on the force with which the actuating member is operated.Alternatively the control circuit may be adapted to monitor the force directly, for example by means of a ioad cell.

Where the game-playing machine is a fruitmachine incorporating a plurality of rotary or quasi-rotary members bearing symbols, means for rotating the members, and electronic indexing means for controlling operation of the rotating means in response to operation of the actuating member, the indexing means may be adapted to control the starting speed of the rotary members on rotation of these members in response to operation of the actuating member in dependence on the control signal. In this case the positions in which the rotary members stop will generally be randomly determined by the electronic indexing means in a per se known manner, so that these positions will be independent of the manner in which the actuating member is operated.Thus, although the variable speed of rotation of the rotary members will make it appear that the manner in which the player operates the actuating member affects the result of the game, this result will in fact be solely determined by the electronic indexing means in the usual manner.

The term "quasi-rotary member" as used above and elsewhere in the specification is intended to denote a video or projected image of a rotary member, and it should be understood that, where rotation of a rotary member is referred to, this is intended to cover simulated rotation of a video or projected image of a rotary member.

Alternatively the indexing means may be adapted to compute the distances through which the rotary members are to be moved in response to actuation of the actuating member by taking randon values and modifying them in dependence on the control signal. For example values dependent on the control signal may be added to, or multiplied by, the random values. In this case the manner in which the player operates the actuating member may have some affect on the result of the game, although the final positions of the rotary members will still be randomly or near randomly determined.

As a further alternative the indexing means may be adapted to control the rate of decay of the speed of the rotary members on rotation in response to actuation of the actuating member in dependence on the control signal. In this case the final positions of the rotary members will again generally be randomly determined solely by the indexing means, so that the result of the game will only appear to be affected by the manner in which the player operates the actuating member.

Furthermore the indexing means may be adapted to control the motion of the rotary members in accordance with a combination of the above described techniques.

The fruit machine may incorporate at least one game feature, such as a "nudge" feature as described in Specification No. 1,292,712 or a "skip" feature as described in the applicants' copending Application No. 8029164, the availability or operation of which is dependent on the control signal. Generally a "nudge" feature comprises a respective actuator associated with each rotary member which, when operated, causes the member to be indexed to display on a combination line another symbol which was previously visible to the player but not on the combination line. The arrangement could be such that the number of nudges which is made available to a player is determined in dependence on the control signal. The control signal could also be used to determine the directions in which the members are indexed on operation of the actuators.

Generally a "skip" feature comprises a respective actuator associated with each rotary member which, when operated, causes the member to be indexed to display on the nombination line another symbol which was not previously visible to the player. The arrangement could be such that the control signal is produced in dependence on the manner in which an actuator, or the actuating member for initiating rotation of the members on playing of a game, is operated, and the number of skips which is made available and/or the degree to which the rotary members are skipped is dependent on the control signal. Where the degree of "skip" is dependent on the control signal, it is desirable that the precise magnitude of the skip should nevertheless be randomly determined.

As further alternatives the control signal may be used to control a "gamble" feature according to which the player is generally given the option of operating the actuating member to rotate a rotary member with a view to the rotary member stopping with a winning symbol in view, or to select a prize from a number of alternative prizes shown on a video or projected display.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, two embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are circuit diagrams of parts of the machines; and Figure 3 is a diagram of a modification of part of the circuits of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figure 1, a button-operated singlepole two-way switch 1 for initiating rotation of the reels of a coin-released fruit machine on playing of a game comprises two fixed contacts 2 and 3 connected to a 5-volt supply by resistors 12 and 13, and an earthed movable contact 4. On depression of the button the movable contact 4 is moved away from the fixed contact 2 thus causing a start input 5 of a counter 6 to pass from a low level to a high level. The counter 6 then counts the clock pulses received at a clock input 7 until the movable contact 4 engages the fixed contact 3 thus causing a stop input 8 of the counter 6 to pass from a high level to a low level.

The resultant binary count value appearing at the output 9 of the counter 6 is proportional to the time taken for the movable contact 4 to move between the fixed contacts 2 and 3 and is hence dependent on the force applied to the button against the action of a spring. In practice additional logic is required to cope with the possibility of the contact 4 again coming into contact with the contact 2 before reaching the contact 3.

The embodiment of Figure 2 is similar to that of Figure 1 except that the counter comprises a location 20 within a random-access memory 21 of microprocessor and game software 22. The resultant count value and the fact that the button has been pressed is used by the game software to affect the game or game feature.A suitable algorithm for performing the count function is set out below: Comment Interface to Game: Skill Factor or 0-No Key Press Skill Factor of 1-254-Value of Force/Speed Skill Factor of 255-Timedout Key Press Initially: Start Contact=O volts Stop Contact=5 volts When Key Press in Progress: Start Contact=5 volts Stop Contact=O volts Algorithm Begin: Skill Factor=0; Loop (*until start of key depression*) When start=5 volts then exit end Endloop; Loop (*key being pressed*) Increment Skill Factor; When start=0 volts then (*no key press*) Skill factor=0; Exit End; When skill factor=255 then (*timedout*) exit end; When stop=0 volts then (*done*) exit end; Endloop End (*of algorithm*) (*Note: if skill factor=0 ignore the button press*) (*Otherwise use the value of skill factor to*) (*Characterise the feature or game*).

In each of the embodiments described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2 the two-way switch 1 may be replaced by two one-way microswitches 23 and 24 connected in series as shown in Figure 3. Each micro-switch 23, 24 comprises a fixed contact 25 and a movable contact 26, and the two microswitches 23, 24 are arranged in relation to the button for initiating rotation of the rotary members such that the microswitch 23 will be actuated at the beginning of depression of this button and the microswitch 24 will be actuated at the end of depression of the button. It will therefore be appreciated that the two microswitches in series will operate in a similar manner to the single two-way switch.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. An electronic game-playing machine comprising an actuating member for controlling the game and/or at least one feature of the game and movable on actuation by a player between an inoperative state and an operative state, and a control circuit for sensing the speed and/or distance and/or force with which the actuating member is moved by the player between its inoperative and operative states and for supplying a control signal dependent on the sensed speed and/or distance and/or force to game-playing apparatus for use in controlling the game and/or feature.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit is adapted to monitor the time taken by the actuating member to travel between two fixed points and to supply a control signal dependent on this time.

3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein the actuating member is coupled to a switch comprising a movable contact constrained to travel between two fixed contacts.

4. A machine according to claim 2, wherein the actuating member is arranged to actuate a first switch on being moved out of its inoperative state and to actuate a second switch on being moved into its operative state.

5. A machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the actuating member is movable against a spring force.

6. A machine according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the control circuit incorporates a source of clock pulses, and a counter for counting the number of clock pulses received during the time taken by the actuating member to travel between the two fixed points.

7. A machine according to any preceding claim, incorporating a plurality of rotary or quasirotary members bearing symbols, means for rotating the members, and electronic indexing means for controlling operation of the rotating means in response to operation of the actuating member.

8. A machine according to claim 7, wherein the indexing means is adapted to control the starting speed of the rotary members on rotation of these members in response to operation of the actuating member in dependence on the control signal.

9. A machine according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the indexing means is adapted to compute the distances through which the rotary members are to be moved in response to actuation of the actuating member by taking random values and modifying them in dependence on the control signa.

10. A machine according to claim 7, 8 or 9 wherein the indexing means is adapted to control the rate of decay of the speed of the rotary members on rotation in response to actuation of the actuating member in dependence on the control signal.

11. A machine according to any preceding claim, being a coin-released fruit machine or video game machine.

1 2. An electronic game-playing machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.