GB2309571A

GB2309571A - Coin-operated entertainment appparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2309571A
Application number: GB9701412A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Gauselmann; Wolfgang Burchhardt
Original assignee: ASP Gauselmann GmbH
Current assignee: ASP Gauselmann GmbH
Priority date: 1996-01-24
Filing date: 1997-01-24
Publication date: 1997-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 2017-01-24
Also published as: BE1010469A6; GB9701412D0; GB2309571B

Abstract

Coin-operated entertainment apparatus (1) comprises a symbol carrier, e.g. dice (11) disposed behind a viewing window (4). The symbol carrier is freely rotatable about its axes in a hollow body (5) by an air stream flowing through the hollow body. The air stream enters on a base side of the hollow body (5). A sensor coil (12) of a frequency generator with an evaluation unit (13) is disposed in the region of the base (7) of the hollow body. The evaluation unit (13) is connected to a control unit (10). Symbol-representing display means are controllable by the control unit. The symbol carrier may also be rotated by striking it mechanically.

Description

COIN-OPERATED AUTOMATIC ENTERTAINMENT APPARATUS The present invention relates to coin-operated entertainment apparatus.

Coin-operated entertainment apparatus are known in various constructions. The coin-operated entertainment apparatus are furnished with roller-shaped or disc-shaped rotating bodies, wherein symbols are disposed on the surface of the rotating bodies, which symbols are displayed behind viewing windows by the rotating bodies when at rest.

Winning values are associated with the symbol combinations displayed by the resting rotating bodies according to a plan of winnings. The rotating bodies are put into rotation at the beginning of the game and are put to rest in detent positions determined previously by a pseudorandom number generator. The symbol combination displayed by the resting rotating bodies can be paid out or can be employed as a game stake for successive games.

A coin game apparatus is known from German patent specification DE 40 35 757 C2, wherein the symbol carrier is formed as a dice, which is solidly connected at a corner point to a shaft in extension of a diagonal axis of the dice. A step motor and crank effect direct drive of the dice for rotation around two specific axes.

It is, however, a disadvantage in this construction that the dice is constrainedly guided on one rotation axis, so that a game with a freely moving dice cannot be simulated.

It would thus be desirable to improve a coin-operated entertainment apparatus by employing a symbol carrier able to rotate without constraint to a specific axis or specific axes.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided coin-operated entertainment apparatus comprising a symbol carrier, which is arranged behind a viewing window and rotatable about more than one of its axes, and evaluating means, characterised in that the symbol carrier is rotatable about its axes in an air stream.

The symbol carrier can be formed as a dice and arranged in a tubular hollow body, the air stream entering from a base side of the hollow body and exiting at a top side of the hollow body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided coin-operated entertainment apparatus comprising a symbol carrier, which is arranged behind a viewing window and rotatable about more than one of its axes, and evaluating means, characterised in that the symbol carrier can be struck, for rotation about its axes in a tubular hollow body, by a drive actuable by an auxiliary force.

An absorption oscillator circuit can be associated with each symbol of the symbol carrier and a coil of a swept-frequency oscillator can be provided at the base side of the hollow body, the oscillator being connected to the evaluation means.

In a preferred embodiment the symbol carrier can be struck by way of the drive and put into rotation around one or more of its axes by the air stream.

Expediently, the air stream enters the hollow body at its base side and the body has a base which is provided with air passages and is formed so that at least a part region thereof is rotatable, and arranged in the region of the base is a sensor coil of a frequency generator with an evaluation unit. A control unit is connected to the evaluation unit and controls display means for displaying a symbol of the symbol carrier, the display means being connected to the control unit. Operating elements are associated with the display means and connected to the control unit.

It is an advantage of apparatus embodying the present invention that the symbol carrier is freely movable around its axes and can rotate within a hollow body and thus moves like a manually thrown dice. The particular symbol, for example dice number, displayed by the resting dice is determined by a sensor mechanism disposed at the base of the hollow body. Due to the free motion of the dice around several axes, the user of the apparatus finds the course of the game more interesting and more entertaining compared to known games of chance.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned schematic side view of a first coin operated entertainment apparatus embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional side view of dice actuating means in apparatus modified in rotation to that of Fig. 1 and to a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional end view of the actuating means of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the actuating means of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a partly sectional side view of further coin-operated entertainment apparatus embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown in Fig. 1 coin-operated entertainment apparatus 1 comprising a housing 2 constructed in a form similar to a bistro table or a game table and comprising a nearly horizontal playing surface 3 with a protrusion 4 of semi-spherical shape.

A transparent, vertically extending tubular hollow body 5 is disposed under the transparent protrusion 4. The hollow body 5 rests on a base 7 provided with passages 6. The base 7 exhibits asymmetrically disposed passages 6 in the inner region of the hollow body 5, wherein the passages 6 have different diameters. An air guide channel 8 opens at the side of the base remote from the hollow body 5 and leads to a source 9 of pressurised air, for example, a radial blower. A sensor coil 12 is provided above the base 7 in the hollow body 5 in the region of the air guide channel 8, which sensor coil is connected to a tunable frequency generator with an evaluation unit 13. An output signal of the frequency generator with the evaluation unit 13 is fed to a control unit 10 of the entertainment apparatus 1. The control unit 10 comprises a microcomputer system. The overall control of the operation of the coin-operated entertainment apparatus 1 is performed by the control unit 10.

A cube-shaped hexahedron or dice 11 is disposed in the hollow body 5 and is rotatable about its axes. The size of the dice 11 is such that it fits into and is freely rotatable in the hollow body 5. An absorption oscillator circuit is associated with each face of the dice 11. The circuit is formed by a parallel connection of inductances and capacitances. The individual coils or individual capacitors are selected in such a way that the oscillator circuit associated with each face of the dice has a resonance frequency different from that of each of the other circuits.

If a symbol is to be determined, then the pressurised air source 9 is activated by the control unit 10 in that the drive motor, which is not shown in detail, of the radial blower is supplied with current. The air stream of the blower is fed through the air guide channel 8 to the hollow body 5. The air stream flowing into the hollow body effects a rotation of the dice 11 about several axes by virtue of the asymmetrically disposed passages 6 in the base 7. The dice rests on the base 7 within the hollow body 5 after switching-off of the blower. The particular oscillator circuit of the dice which faces the base 7 changes the voltage in the sensor coil 12 of the frequency generator. The evaluation unit 13 determines the frequency range in which a break of the voltage is present. A symbol is associated with each frequency-dependent voltage break. The frequency generator with the evaluation unit 13 communicates the determined symbol to the control unit 10.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the base 7 in the region of the hollow body 5 is deflectable in the longitudinal direction of the hollow body. The base 7 is fastened to an armature of an electromagnetic stroke magnet, which is used as a setting drive. The armature is deflected by a current pulse on the winding, whereby the base is moved into the hollow body so that the dice is catapulted up and rotated about its axes. After termination of current supply to the setting drive, the symbol or dice number displayed by the dice is determined by the control unit 10 by way of the amplitude voltage of the frequency generator with the evaluation unit 13.

Further, the apparatus can be operated in combination with pressurised air and the setting drive. The dice is thrown upward in the hollow body 5 by the setting drive and is maintained at a higher level by the stream of pressurised air and put into rotation about one or several of its axes over a longer time period. After the switching-on of the air stream, the current supply to the setting drive can be switched off.

After the termination of the feed of the air stream, the determination of the symbol displayed by the dice is performed in the aforesaid manner.

An embodiment with rotation of the dice in such a combined mode of operation is shown in Figs. 2 to 4. In this embodiment, the apparatus has a transparent hollow body 25 with a curved base 27 to provide a smooth transition for deflection of the dice 111 in the longitudinal direction of the hollow body. Thus, when the dice falls down upon termination of the blowing air stream, the curved outer portion 47 of the base 27 deflects the dice toward the centre axis of the hollow body 25.

As indicated above, in the case of the apparatus partly shown in Figs. 2 to 4 the dice 111 rotates in a stream of air. The rotation axis of the dice can vary and can be any possible axis of the dice so that the dice tumbles. The apparatus comprises a pressurised air source, formed by a radial blower 29. An air guide channel 28 is connected at the casing of the radial blower 29 with an opening on the discharge flow side of the blower 29 The base part 37 is in part perforated by holes 36, shown in Fig. 4, to allow blown air to pass into the hollow body 25 to turn the dice 111. The holes 36 are disposed asymmetrically in the base 27 in order to impart a substantially rotating force to the dice 111.

The base portion 37 is disposed at the upper end of the air guide channel 28. A centre part of the base 27 is deflectable in direction into the hollow body 5 by way of a film hinge 57. An electromagnetic solenoid or stroke magnet 32 is attached below the base 27 and within the air guide channel 28. The magnet 32 is employed as a setting drive. A reciprocating armature 31 of the magnet 32 pushes against the base 27 on the side remote from the hinge 57. The armature 31 is moved upon delivery of an electric impulse to the winding of the magnet 32, whereby the base 27 is moved into the hollow body 25 such that the dice is thrown up and rotates around an axis. According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, a hole might be provided in the base 27 so that the armature 31 can pass through the base to hit the dice 111 itself. The upper end of the armature 31 can have a flat surface of a size fitting into such a hole and engage with the dice independently of its position on the base 27. After the dice has moved upward upon being jolted and/or the blowing of air through the guide channel 28 has stopped, the control unit determines which symbol is displayed by the dice by a resonance determination of the oscillator circuit associated with the displayed symbol.

Both the transparent hollow body 25 and the base 27 can rotate around a vertically disposed axis. The rotating hollow body 25 adjoins the base 27. A rotation of the base 27 leads to a turn of the dice 111 around a vertical axis and, thus, the pulse to be transferred by the blowing air to the dice to achieve a certain overall rotational speed of the dice. The dice 111 moves and rotates further within the hollow body 25 upon supply of an air stream through the hollow body.

In this embodiment, the sensor coil 112 is disposed in the air guide cahnnel in immediate association with the base 27, as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the base 27 inclusive of the curved portion 47. The hollow body 25, projecting in the area of the base 27 into the air guide channel 28, is formed as a collar-type extension 67 (Fig. 3) for receiving the sensor coil 112. So that the coil 112 does not slide off the extension 67, the coil is detachably secured to the extension.

Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of the apparatus, in which the apparatus 41 comprises a base housing 42. A transparent hollow body 43 is disposed on top 46 of the housing 42. A part-spherical enlargement 44 is provided on the upper end remote from the housing 42. A plurality of passages 45 are provided in the enlargement 44 to allow blown air to escape. An air guide channel 49 leads from a radial blower 48 in the housing to a base with which the hollow body 43 is associated. The base has the form of a dish-shaped disc 410, which is rotatable about its vertical axis and provided with passages, downstream of the air guide channel 49. The rotary drive of the disc 410 is performed by an electromagnetic setting drive 411, which projects into the air guide channel 49 via an opening below the disc 410. The disc 410 is surrounded by a coil 412 for sensing the position of the dice when resting on the disc 410. The coil 412 is disposed in the air guide channel 49 and is connected to a frequency generator with an evaluation unit 413. An output signal of the frequency generator with the evaluation unit 413 is fed to a control unit 414. Display devices 415 are activated by the control unit 414. A respective operating element, formed as a key 426, is associated with each display device 415 and connected to the control unit 414. The keys 426 can have transparent and illuminable covers.

In use, after a winning symbol was selected through actuation of the operating element associated with the display devices, the cover of the display device is illuminated transparently. Subsequently, the control unit 414 feeds current to a drive motor of the blower 48. The output air stream of the blower 48 is led by way of the air guide channel 49 through the disc 410 and into the hollow body 43. The air escapes through the passages 45 in the enlargement 44. A symbol carrier 416, in the form of a hexahedron or dice, is carried by the air stream in the direction of the enlargement 44 and thereby freely moved about its axes. The control unit 414 interrupts the feed of current to the drive motor of the blower after about ten seconds. Thereupon, the dice 416 falls in the diminishing air stream slowly in the direction of the base 46. After the switching-off of the drive motor for the blower 48, the setting drive 411 of the disc 410 is activated. If the dice 416 should stand by a tip on the disc 410, the dice is brought by rotation of the disc into a display position in which a face of the dice is supported on the disc.

The determination of the winning symbol is effected by oscillator circuits and downstream evaluation in the same manner as for the previously described embodiments.

In a further embodiment, the disc 410 is deflectable in the longitudinal direction of the hollow body 43, for which purpose the disc is connected to the armature of an electromagnetic solenoid, or stroke magnet, functioning as a setting drive 411. The armature is deflected by a current pulse on the winding of the stroke magnet, whereby the disc 410 is abruptly driven into the hollow body 43 so that the dice 416 is catapulted up. The setting drive 411 is supplied with current at approximately the same time as the drive motor of the blower 48. The dice 416, which is already disposed in the hollow body 43 downstream of the disc 410, is subsequently entrained by the air stream until the current supply to the motor of the blower 48 is switched off by the control unit 414. The additional use of the stroke magnet has the advantage that the dice has already been removed from its support surface when the air stream begins to entrain it. It can thus be ensured that directly after the switching-on of the air stream the dice is disposed in the part-spherical enlargement 44 of the hollow body 43.

Claims

1. Coin-operated entertainment apparatus comprising a viewing window, a symbol carrier provided with a plurality of symbols and arranged behind the viewing window, the carrier being free for rotation about a plurality of axes thereof, actuating means for causing rotation of the carrier about said axes, and determining means for determining the geometric position of the carrier at rest and an individual one of the symbols associated with that rest position.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the actuating means comprising means for generating an air stream for rotating the carrier.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising a hollow body receiving the carrier.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the carrier is a dice and the air stream enters the hollow body at a lower end thereof and exits the hollow body at an upper end thereof.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, the apparatus comprising a hollow body receiving the carrier and the actuating means comprising forceactuated drive means for causing a blow to be delivered to the carrier for rotation thereof within the hollow body.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the determining means comprising a detector disposed below the carrier and co-operable with individual detection elements respectively associated with the symbols and evaluating means for evaluating signals from the detector indicative of detected ones of the elements.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the detection elements comprise absorption oscillator circuits and the detector comprises a coil of a swept-frequency oscillator.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, claim 4 or claim 6 or 7 when appended to claim 3 or 4, the actuating means comprising force-actuated drive means for causing a blow to be delivered to the carrier to jolt it into the air stream for turning about at least one of said axes.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the hollow body is provided at a lower end thereof with a base which has passage means for entry of the air stream into the body and at least part of which is rotatable, and the determining means comprises a detector arranged in the region of said part of the base and operable to detect the symbols, evaluating means connected to the detector, control means connected to the evaluating means, indicating means controllable by the control means to display each detected symbol and selecting means associated with the indicating means and operable to effect user selection of the symbols.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the detector comprises a sensor coil of a frequency generator.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3, 4 and 8 to 10 comprising a blower for generating the air stream and an air duct leading from an outlet of the blower to the hollow body.

12. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3, 4 and 8 to 11, wherein the hollow body is provided with a substantially part-spherical enlargement at an upper end thereof.

13. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

14. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

15. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. Coin-operated entertainment apparatus comprising a viewing window, a symbol carrier provided with a plurality of symbols and arranged behind the viewing window, the carrier being free for rotation about a plurality of axes thereof, actuating means for causing rotation of the carrier about said axes, and determining means for determining the geometric position of the carrier at rest and an individual one of the symbols associated with that rest position, the actuating means comprising means for generating an air stream for rotating the carrier and forceactuated drive means for causing a blow to be delivered to the carrier to jolt it into the air stream for turning about at least one of said axes.

2. Apparatus as;claimed in claim 1, comprising a hollow body receiving the carrier.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carrier is a dice and the air stream enters the hollow body at a lower end thereof and exits the hollow body at an upper end thereof.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the determining means comprising a detector disposed below the carrier and co-operable with individual detection elements respectively associated with the symbols and evaluating means for evaluating signals from the detector indicative of detected ones of the elements.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the detection elements comprise absorption oscillation circuits and the detector comprises a coil of a swept-frequency oscillator.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hollow body is provided at a lower end thereof with a base which has passage means for entry of the air stream into the body and at least part of which is rotatable, and the determining means comprises a detector arranged in the region of said part of the base and operable to detect the symbols, evaluating means connected to the detector, control means connected to the evaluating means, indicating means controllable by the control means to display each detected symbol and selecting means associated with the indicating means and operable to effect user selection of the symbols.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the detector comprises a sensor coil of a frequency generator.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2, 3, 6 and 7, comprising a blower for generating the air stream and an air duct leading from an outlet of the blower to the hollow body.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2, 3 and 6 to 8, wherein the hollow body is provided with a substantially part-spherical enlargement at an upper end thereof.

10. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

11. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.