GB2174010A - Roulette apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus is coin freed and includes means for spinning the roulette wheel 1 at a variable speed or in opposing directions and means for computing the position of the ball relative to the wheel, which means comprises perforated plates 9, 16 mounted co-axially with the wheel 1, sensors 6, 7, 10 & 14 and a processor 17. Sensors 10, 14 signal presence or absence of a ball 13, sensor 7 signals passage of each perforation 8 which corresponds to a position 11 on the wheel 1 and sensor 6 signals passage of a reference print 15 which indicates completion of a revolution. Using these signals the processor calculates the resting position of the ball, and compares the findings with the betting input from a user. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Gaming apparatus simulating roulette This invention relates to gaming apparatus and in particular to apparatus simulating roulette but which functions when coins or tokens are inserted and which is provided with a set of control and game choice displays. The apparatus includes means for spinning the body of the roulette wheel where the ball rolls, and doing so at a speed that is capable of alteration, so that the ball is ejected from one slot and becomes lodged in another at random.

The apparatus furthermore includes means for detecting the position of the ball, for comparing it with the position stakes, and for awarding a prize in the event of both being the same.

Figure 1 shows a partially sectioned diagrammatic and elevational view of the roulette.

Figure 2 depicts a diagrammatic view of the player's control panel and the main components thereon.

Figure 3 depicts a diagrammatic view of a player's gaming panel and the main components thereon.

Figure 4 is a working diagram of the roulette.

In the case of a casino roulette, the main body (1) which possesses the slots (11) is made to spin (4) while the croupier throws the ball in the opposite direction onto the running rim (12) which is bordered by the surrounding rim (5).

Both the running rim (12) and the surrounding rim (5) make up a single component that is integral with the gaming table, and are accordingly stationary (in the case of a conventional roulette).

In the case of a gaming machine there can be no croupier to throw the ball, and it is therefore the machine itself which does so.

In this particular case, the ball (13) is already lying in the slot (11) when the roulette starts to spin.

The roulette covered in this invention is equipped with means by way for instance of an electric motor with an associated programmed speed variator or any other conventional means such as any expert would be able to replace instead of its equivalent and which provides the roulette with its rotation speed.

In order to trigger the release of the ball, said means make the roulette rotation speed drop sharply, or reverse its direction of rotation so as to make the ball be released onto the running rim (12) by virtue of its inertia.

What would happen in actual practice if the roulette was a conventional one is that the ball, upon emerging from the slot (11), would quickly impinge against the surrounding rim (5) and tumble back into another slot close to that from which it had just emerged, thus severly interfering with the randomness of the game.

To prevent this from happening, the roulette covered by this invention embodies the running rim (12) into the main body (1 ) and also as an extension thereof which has the effect of making the ball stay upon the running rim (12) for a very much longer time indeed, and of ensuring that when it does drop into one of the slots, this occurs in a wholly random fashion.

The running rim (12) is preferably banked and in continuous prolongation from the slots (11) so that the ball can enter and leave said slots with a greater degree of ease, although a corrugated or similar shaped rim may be used instead.

The surrounding rim (5) is preferably heavily banked and stationery, while the banking may slop either inwards or outwards.

In the control panel (2), (see Figure 2), there is chiefly incorporated: -the coin insertion slot (25), -the display (21) to show that the machine is ready to play, -the display (22) to showthatthe machine will not accept further games, - a display (23) to denote that the machine is not working, means (24) to hold the character displays (31) in the position where they stand, - a display (26) to denote the games left to be played, - a display (27) to show the slot where the prize has been awarded.

On the player's gaming panel (3), (see Figure 3), there is chiefly included: - play selectors (32) - character displays (31).

With the construction as hereinbefore described, the game is conducted as follows: one or more coins are inserted in the slot (25), whereupon the number of games that can be played is shown on display (26); the roulette (1 ) is spinning (in play), display (21) illuminates to denote that the machine is ready to play, the player depresses one or more of buttons (32) as many times as games he wishes to play, - display (21) denoting when the machine is ready to play is extinguished and display (22) illuminates to show that it will accept no further games, - the lights may be flashed on and off in those character displays (31) which the player must endeavour to hold by means of his hold button (24) for each game played, -the roulette (1) comes to rest, and the ball (13) drops into a slot (11), whereafter display (27) illuminates to denote the slot where the prize has been awarded.

when the game played with button (32), and the slot (11) coincide with the ball (13) and the opposite character, a special prize is awarded.

This roulette works as follows: Roulette (1) possesses slots (11) which are numbered from 0 to 36, and may or may not possess small holes (18) according to whether detector (10) is a beam emitting detector or simply a detector to detect presence.

Integrally attached to roulette (1 ) is a first plate (9) that possesses a single hole (15) which is in line with the zero position of roulette (1), and associated to said first plate (9) is a first conventional infra-red beam transmitter/detector (6) which tells the processor (17) whether the beam is received or not, which depends upon whether said beam is in line with the hole (15).

When the hole (15) comes into line with the first transmitter/detector (6), the processor (6) knows thatthe roulette (1) is going by zero.

There is moreover a second plate (16) possessing as many holes (8) as there are slots (11) on the roulette, together with a second associated transmitterldetector (7).

When processor (17) receives the signal to show that the roulette is going by zero, it begins to count the impulses received from the second transmitter/ detector (7), these being one per slot, and since it is provided with a code which identifies the position of each slot with respect to zero by means of its relevant number, the processor knows precisely which slot is facing the transmitter/detectors.

A conventional type of detector (10) to detect presence, or some other kind of transmitter/detector faces slot (11) as it passes in front of same while the roulette (1) is spinning.

If ball (13) happens td be in the slot facing the detector to detect presence (10), this latter will convey this information to the processor (17) which thereupon is in possession of all the information it needs in order to discover which slot the ball (13) is located in, and the number thereof, and it forthwith decides whether or not to award a prize according to whether said number is that upon which the player staked his money or not.

It is conceivable that because of its speed in motion, the ball (13), after entering a certain slot and the detector (10) informing the processor (17) thereof, were thereafter to jump out of that slot and into the next one by reason of its inertia, this fact too being transmitted by the detector (10) to the processor (17), which then would be in a quandry as regards which slot is that which qualified.

In order to avoid such a situation from arising, one or more detectors (14) are spaced at angles to one another, and since they perform an identical function to that of the first detector (10), their data is transmitted to the processor (17) which will decide in favour of that slot which is the one covered by the data coming from the detectors (10), (14).

Claims (8)

1. Gaming apparatus simulating Roulette, but which works in response to the insertion of coins or tokens, and peculiar in as much as it is comprised of: (a) a roulette wheel provided with slots capable of accommodating: (b) a ball, (c) means for providing the roulette wheel with a spinning speed whose magnitude and/or direction are capable of being altered in such a manner that the ball is ejected from its slot and enters another one at random, (d) game selectors, (e) a character display for each selector, with means to make the character appear or disappear at random on or from the character displays.

(f) means to enable the character shown in the relevant display to be held at will.

(g) a first plate which is attached to the roulette so as to spin integrally therewith, and which possesses an indicator to show when said roulette passes by zero, together with a first signal detector/transmitter which is associated with a processor, (h) a second plate which is likewise attached to the roulette so as to spin integrally with same, and capable of providing a signal for each slot around the roulette wheel, together with a second signal detector/transmitter which is likewise associated with a processor, (i) at least one detector to detect the presence of the ball in front of a slot, (j) a processor equipped with means to receive the signal from the first transmitter/detector to denote passage by zero, and also to receive the signals from the second transmitter/detector and identify them with the relevant slot, and moreover to receive data from the detector to detect presence, and to award a prize if the position of the ball coincides with the slot upon which the player's stake has been placed by means of preselection on the game selector.

2. Roulette apparatus, in full accordance with the preceding claim and peculiar wherewith it comprises a fourth transmitter/detector that is identical to the third transmitter/detector and spaced at an angle thereto, whereby the processor decided on the basis of the same data being output from both transmitter/detectors.

3. Roulette apparatus, in full accordance with the first claim and characterized by the fact that it is comprised of a main body in which are located the slots for accommodating the ball, and which are prolonged integrally round about the circumference by a running rim which likewise comprises an outer body, and inner surface of which is steeply banked and surrounds said main body.

4. Roulette apparatus, in full accordance with the third claim above, and peculiar in as much that the outer body is stationery.

5. Roulette apparatus, in full accordance with the first claim above, and peculiar wherewith it comprises a display to show the number of games remaining to be played, a display to show that the machine is ready to play, and a display to denote that the machine will not accept any further stakes.

6. Roulette apparatus, in full accordance with the first claim above and characterized by the fact that the processor awards extra prize/s when the character held coincides with the game selector upon which the stake has been placed and which has been awarded a prize.

7. A roulette in full accordance with the first claim above and peculiar in as much that it possesses a display to denote the slot in which the ball has come to rest.

8. Apparatus for gaming substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.