GB2321329A

GB2321329A - Gaming machine with visible winnings coin box

Info

Publication number: GB2321329A
Application number: GB9800902A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil Beverley Coates
Original assignee: P C P MICRO PRODUCTS Ltd
Current assignee: P C P MICRO PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date: 1997-01-17
Filing date: 1998-01-19
Publication date: 1998-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-19
Also published as: GB9800902D0; GB2321329B; GB9700995D0

Abstract

The cabinet 1 of a fruit machine has a coin bank assembly 12 into which winnings are deposited for subsequent release and are visible through a window. The coins may be deposited by a coin path 8 made of clear plastic and forming a zig-zag route which drops at the corners 11 to produce a noise as the coins fall. Both the coin bank assembly and the coin path 8 may be viewed through a clear portion in the front panel (fig 2). The coin bank assembly 12 may have an additional winnings indicator in the form of LED and LCD display (20, 21 fig 5). The machine cabinet may also contain a coin discriminator 2 and coin hopper assembly 5 which directs coins to a coin escalator which in turn feeds the coin path 8 when a win is achieved. The coin bank assembly 12 is emptied by a pivotable base flap (13 fig 3) which is opened when a solenoid (15 fig 3) is deactivated by a player pressing a button.

Description

AMUSEMENT AND GAMING MACHINES This invention relates to amusement and gaming machines of the kind in which coins or tokens are paid out as prizes. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to so-called 'fruit machines', but also relates to skill with prizes machines.

The term 'coin' will be used hereinafter to include a token where appropriate.

In many fruit machines the winnings are paid out immediately following a winning game. In other machines the amount of the winnings achieved in a plurality of games is accumulated on a register, and the player is eventually paid out the accumulated amount of the winnings, either by automatic operation of the machine, or when the player chooses to take his or her winnings.

The register often takes the form of an LED display.

According to the present invention an amusement or gaming machine comprises a coin bank assembly wherein the machine is arranged, in use, to deposit winnings into the coin bank assembly for subsequent release to the player, the deposit winnings being visible at least in part to the machine player through a window in the machine.

Thus, instead of the winnings being merely indicated on a register, the coins that have been won are displayed to the player through the window.

This provides an increased attraction to machine players.

In addition it is preferred that the actual amount of the winnings contained in the bank is shown on a winnings register, which is preferably located on or adjacent to the bank window.

In order to increase the appeal of the machine the path of the coins being fed to the coin bank is preferably displayed to the machine player through a further window in the machine.

Conveniently such window and said further window are portions of a common glass which forms the front panel of the machine and, as is wellknown, is suitably printed with attractive artwork.

The coin path is preferably arranged to be a tortuous path, preferably in the form of a zig-zag.

With a zig-zag coin path the coins tumble in an appealing. manner and, by suitable choice of the material of the path walls, the noise created by the tumbling action can be heard.

The coin path is fed by any suitable coin dispenser, which is most preferably in the form of a rotary disc hopper unit feeding a coin escalator, the coins being dispensed from the upper end of the escalator into said coin path.

The outlet from the coin bank preferably leads to a pay-out pocket accessible to the machine player, and a bank outlet control means controls the issue of coins from the coin bank into the pay-out pocket.

The bank outlet control means preferably comprises an openable door in the base of the bank, actuator means for controlling opening or closing of the door, and an outlet controller for controlling operation of the actuator.

In a preferred arrangement the door is movable from a closed position to an open position, and the actuator means comprises a solenoid arranged such that when energised holds the door normally closed. When the solenoid is de-energised the door opens to allow the accumulated winnings in the bank to be dispensed into the winnings pocket. Preferably the solenoid is attached to the door via a spring means.

Preferably a manually operable switch is provided to enable the player to de-energise the solenoid to pay-out the accumulated winnings, and the arrangement is preferably such that the player is permitted to de-energise the solenoid at any time, thereby enabling the player to collect his or her accumulated winnings at any time.

It will be appreciated that an advantage of the above-mentioned arrangement is that, in the event of a power cut to the machine, the accumulated winnings in the bank will be paid out to the player.

A fruit machine in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic vertical cross-section of part of the machine, viewed from the rear, Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine cabinet, Figure 3 is a partial vertical cross-section of the bank assembly on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a rear view of the bank assembly, and Figure 5 is an enlarged front view of the bank window.

In Figure 1 a machine cabinet 1 of a coin-released fruit machine houses a coin discriminator unit 2, of well-known construction, the coins from which are directed by chute 3 into the hopper 4 of a coin hopper assembly 5 which is of the well-known type in which a rotary disc picks out coins one by one from the batch of coins in the hopper and directs the coins in single file to a coin escalator 6.

Coins which are dispensed from the upper end 7 of the escalator, when a win is achieved in a game played on the machine, enter the upper end of a zig-zag coin path 8 visible through a clear portion 9, Figure 2, of the screen-printed machine glass 10 which fills the front of the machine cabinet. The coin path 8 comprises a clear plastics tortuous U-section channel, and the coins roll down the straight sections of the track but drop at the corners 11, to provide a jangling noise which attracts attention. The lower end 111 of the coin path 8 leads into coin bank assembly 12.

The coin bank assembly 12 is in the form of an open-topped container having a base defined by a flap 13 pivotable about a horizontal axis 14 by a solenoid 15 and spring 16. The solenoid when energised normally holds the flap in the closed position shown in Figure 3, in which the flap engages with a stop flange 17 and the coils of the spring 16 are pulled open.

The portion 18 of the glass 10 adjacent to the coin bank assembly 12 is shown in Figure 5 and defines a transparent rectangular window 19 through which any money in the coin bank assembly 12 can be seen by the machine player. A series of LEDs 20 is arranged around a three-digit liquid crystal display 21 which acts as a winnings register to indicate the amount of accumulated winnings held in the coin bank assembly 12. The liquid crystal display 21 illuminates in sequence as winnings are dispensed into the coin bank assembly 12 by the coin hopper assembly 5, and when coins are paid out from the coin bank assembly 12.

When the solenoid 15 is de-activated, by the player pressing a button, the flap 13 opens to allow all of the coins in the coin bank assembly 12 to fall into a pay-out cup 22 which is accessible to the machine player, to enable the player to collect his or her winnings. Alternatively, the coins fall through a chute (not shown) and into a common type of pay-out tray disposed approximately knee-level to the player. When the solenoid 15 is de-activated the coils of the spring 16 are allowed to close such that the length of the spring 16 is reduced.

It will be appreciated that the flap can be opened and closed by any type of actuating means, for example a rotary motor.

Claims

1. An amusement or gaming machine comprising a coin bank assembly wherein the machine is arranged, in use, to deposit winnings into the coin bank assembly for subsequent release to the player, the deposit winnings being visible at least in part to the machine player through a window in the machine.

2. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actual amount of the winnings contained in the coin bank assembly is also indicated by a winnings register.

3. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the winnings register is located on/or adjacent to the window.

4. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the path of the coins being fed to the coin bank assembly is displayed to the machine player through a further window in the machine.

5. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein said window and said further window are portions of a common glass which forms the front panel of the machine.

6. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the coin path is arranged to be a tortuous path.

7. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tortuous path is in the form of a zig-zag.

8. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the deposit of winnings into the coin bank assembly is accompanied by an audible sound.

9. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the audible sound is created by the tumbling action of the coins.

10. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the coin path is fed by a suitable coin dispenser, in the form of a rotary disc hopper unit feeding a coin escalator, the coins being dispensed from the upper end of the escalator into said coin path.

11. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet from the coin bank assembly leads to a pay-out pocket accessible to the machine player, and a bank outlet control means controls the issue of coins from the coin bank into the pay-out pocket.

12. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bank outlet control means comprises an openable door in the base of the bank, actuator means for controlling opening or closing of the door, and an outlet controller for controlling operation of the actuator means.

13. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the door is movable from a closed position to an open position, and the actuator means comprises a solenoid arranged such that, in use, when energised the solenoid holds the door normally closed and the arrangement being such that when the solenoid is de-energised the door opens to allow the accumulated winnings in the bank to be dispensed into the winnings pocket.

14. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the solenoid is attached to the door via a spring means.

15. An amusement or gaming machine as claimed in claims 13 and 14, wherein a manually operable switch is provided to enable the player to deenergise the solenoid to pay-out the accumulated winnings, and the arrangement is such that the player is permitted to de-energise the solenoid at any time, thereby enabling the player to collect his or her accumulated winnings at any time.

16. An amusement or gaming machine substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.