GB2316791A

GB2316791A - Display device for displaying symbols in an entertainment machine

Info

Publication number: GB2316791A
Application number: GB9718155A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Gauselmann
Original assignee: ASP Gauselmann GmbH
Current assignee: ASP Gauselmann GmbH
Priority date: 1996-08-29
Filing date: 1997-08-28
Publication date: 1998-03-04
Anticipated expiration: 2017-08-28
Also published as: GB9718155D0; DE19634939A1; GB2316791B; ES2126518A1; DE19634939B4; ES2126518B1

Abstract

A display device for displaying symbols in an entertainment machine comprises an endless belt 16 with a curved symbol-carrying surface. The device comprises two rollers 7 which are axially spaced from each other, and which are simultaneously driven by a drive motor 4. The belt 16 extends around part of the circumference of each roller 7, and is longer in length than the sum of twice the said axial spacing of the rollers 7 plus the length of said parts of the roller circumference, ie. it is at least ellipsoid in form. Preferably the rollers 7 are mounted in a mounting member 3 having a part-elliptically curved portion extending between the rollers, around which the movable belt 16 is located. The rollers 7 may comprise retaining elements 15 to help to maintain the belt 16 on the rollers 7, and may also have pyramidal drive dogs 11 which engage apertures 18 in the belt 16.

Description

2316791 DISPLAY DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING SYMBOLS IN AN ENTERTAINMENT MACHINE

The present invention relates to a display device for displaying symbols in an entertainment machine.

A game apparatus with a win possibility is described in DE 34 42 656 Al, in which an endless belt is used as a symbol carrier. The endless belt is provided with win symbols and is arranged behind a viewing window of a front panel of the apparatus. The endless belt is guided over at least two rollers arranged at a spacing, one roller being driven by an electric motor. However, it is disadvantageous that the win symbols displayed in the viewing window are arranged on a planar surface, so that a user of the apparatus, to whom previously only roller-type symbol carriers were known, takes time to become familiar with the new mode of representation.

It would thus be desirable to provide a display device utilising a belt, but having a curved symbol-bearing surface.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for the display of win symbols with a symbol carrier, which has the form of an endless belt, in an entertainment machine, comprising two rollers arranged at a spacing and partially looped around by the belt, wherein drive of the belt is effected by a drive motor, characterised in that at least two rollers are uniformly synchronously driven by the drive motor and that the circumferential length of thebelt is greater than twice the axial spacing of the rollers plus the respective looping length of each roller.

Preferably, the rollers are associated with hold-down or keeper elements engaging over at the side of the periphery. The elements can partly engage over and partly loop around the rollers and be fixed in their end position under prestress.

Preferably, the rollers have teeth corresponding with apertures in the belt in the region of its longitudinal sides.

Expediently, the device comprises a housing part which has, on a side thereof facing the belt, a damping web with an elliptically extending shape in the region between the rollers.

2 The drive of the rollers can take place with interposition of a gear and/or be drivable by the drive motor by means of a cogged belt drive.

A device embodying the invention may have the advantage that a large number of symbols can be represented with an endless belt as symbol carrier and at the same time the impression is given to the user of an entertainment machine incorporating the device that the symbol carder is constructed as a roller. Due to the fact that support elements are not needed for attainment of a curvature in the belt, the device can be produced particularly economically.

An embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which is a schematic perspective view of a display device embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown a display device 1 comprising a base body 2 divided centrally longitudinally and formed of two like housing parts 3. The body 2 has an ellipse-like outer profile. A drive motor 4 is detachably and mechanically positively fastened to one of the housing parts 3. The housing parts 3 have, at the ellipse ends, passages 5, in which axles 6 are arranged. A roller 7 is mounted on each axle 6. Each roller 7 is formed by two circular frusta 8, the smaller ends of which face one another, a cylindrical part connecting the smaller ends and having an external toothing 9, and a cylindrical portion 10 at the larger end of each of the frusta 8. Each portion 10 has truncated pyramidal drive dogs 11. The cylindrical connecting part with the toothing 9 is partially looped around by a cogged belt 12, which is also looped around a drive wheel 13 disposed on a driveshaft of the drive motor 4. The cogged belt 12 is settably tensioned by means of a tensioning roller 4 pivotably arranged in the region of the motor 4.

An endless belt 16 bearing win symbols is looped around part of the circumference of each roller 7 and has, adjacent its edges, two series of rectangular apertures 18 in which the drive dogs are engageable.

Hold-down or keeper elements 15 are associated with each roller 7. The elements 1 are vertically displaceable and mechanically positively coupled to the outer sideq of the housing parts 3. Each element 15 is fixed in position by means of a medhanigally positive guide and engages over an associated cylindrical portion 10 as far as the dogs 11 and 3 thus over the belt 16. The elements 15 are each held in a retracted end position by means of a spring element and so dimensioned that the inner side of the element, which partly loops around the cylindrical portion 10, has a greater diameter than the outer circumferential region of the roller 7. The endless belt 16 has a length which is greater than twice the axial spacing of the oppositely disposed rollers 7, which are arranged at the ends in the base body 2, plus the loop-around length of the two toothed rollers 7. As a consequence the belt 16 adopts an ellipse- shaped course between the rollers 7. The stiffness of the belt is appropriate for this purpose.

At least one housing part 3 has a damping web 17 at the periphery in the region between the rollers 7, but leaving a spacing relative to the belt 16.

On supply of operating current to the drive motor 4, its driveshaft together with the drive wheel 13 disposed thereon is set into rotation, so that the cogged belt 12 is driven forward. The simultaneous, uniform and slip-free drive of the rollers 7 is effected by the cogged belt 12 engaging the toothings 9. The dogs 11 of the rollers 7 progressively engage in the apertures 18 in the belt 16, which is thus pushed, or drawn, unguided in the region between the roller 7. Due to this constrained drive the endless belt 16 takes up, in the unguided region and with consideration of the device 1 from the side, its elliptical profile. The damping web 17, which is arranged thereunder and at a spacing, serves exclusively to prevent oscillation of the belt 16 during the stopping process.

In a modification, the belt 16 is not arranged symmetrically on the base body, but asymmetrically. As a consequence, the endless belt has an elliptical profile at the side facing the viewing window of the front side of an entertainment machine incorporating the device 1 and a circular profile at the side remote therefrom.

4

Claims

1. A display device for displaying symbols in an entertainment machine, comprising two rollers arranged at an axial spacing, an endless belt bearing symbols and drivable by the rollers and a drive unit operable to drive the rollers uniformly in synchronism, the belt extending around part of the circumference of each roller and having a length greater than the sum of twice said spacing and the lengths of said parts of the roller circumference.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising keeper elements to keep the belts against said parts of the roller circumferences.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the rollers is provided with drive dogs drivingly engageable in apertures in the belt along the edge regions thereof.

4. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rollers are mounted in a mounting member having a part-elliptically curved portion extending between the rollers and inside the belt.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the keeper elements extend partly axially along and partly circumferentially around the rollers and are held in position under bias.

6. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive unit comprises a motor and gear transmission means to transmit drive from the motor to the rollers.

7. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive unit comprises a motor and a cogged belt to transmit drive from the motor to the rollers.

8. A display device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.