GB2443909A

GB2443909A - Coin operated skill game machine

Info

Publication number: GB2443909A
Application number: GB0719579A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joan Carles Jimenez Guitart
Original assignee: Discapa SL
Current assignee: Discapa SL
Priority date: 2007-10-08
Filing date: 2007-10-08
Publication date: 2008-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 2027-10-08
Also published as: GB2443909B; GB0719579D0; ES1068914U; ES1068914Y; GB2443909A8

Abstract

A gaming machine comprises a first group of LEDs (1) arranged side by side in a first closed loop configuration and a second group of LEDs (2) arranged adjacent to LEDs of said first group of LEDs (1), a coin/token acceptor device (5) for enabling to start a game upon receiving at least one predetermined coin/token, a start pushbutton (3) to start a moving light effect based on consecutively turning on and off the LEDs of the first group of LEDs (1) and randomly turning on and off the LEDs of the second group of LEDs (2), 10 a stop pushbutton (4) to stop said moving light effect letting fit that LED of the first group of LEDs (1) and that or those LEDs of the second group of LEDs (2) that were lit at the stop time, and a prize hopper coin/token feeder (7) to pay out at least one coin/token. The gaming machine also comprises an enclosure which has a back base body that supports a prize hopper and a front door body, hinged to said back base body, which supports the remaining features.

Description

A COIN OPERATED SKILL GAME MACHINE

Technical field

The present invention relates in general to coin operated skill game machines, and more particularly to a coin operated skill game machine comprising a game panel where first and second groups of LEDs are arranged and controlled to produce a moving light effect upon a start pushbutton is actuated by a user, and to stop said moving light effect upon a stop pushbutton is actuated by the user letting lit those LEDs that were lit at the stop time.

Background of the invention

Coin operated game machines comprising a cabinet having a number of side by side-arranged rotating reels visible through a reel-screening panel and a coin acceptor device to enable the game when an appropriate coin is received are well known. Each reel has a circumferential surface on which several symbols are arranged at equal angular spaces. The reels are rotated by a mechanism upon a start pushbutton is actuated by a user and then the reels are automatically stopped in random positions.

Alternatively, the reels are individually stopped by the user using respective stop pushbuttons. If a predetermined combination of symbols is visible through the reel-screening after the reels are stopped a prize is paid out by a hopper coin feeder arranged in the cabinet. A series of advance pushbuttons permits the user to advance step by step the rotation of selected reels in some events. An electronic circuitry comprising at least an integrated circuit supports a program with game instructions and light and voice/sound effects in connection with lamps and/or LEDs and voice/sound emitters. Those machines are in general bulky and relatively complex essentially due to the reel rotating mechanisms.

US-A-6475087 discloses a coin operated game machine of the type described above wherein the cabinet comprises a front door hinged to the cabinet about a vertical axis and movable between open and closed positions. The cabinet includes a support " 30 for a reel mechanism, and the door has an opening and a mount for mounting either a * .*** * reel-screening panel or a video display to said opening. The reels are viewable through *... the reel-screening panel when the door is in the closed position and, when a video * * * ** I. . * display is mounted to the door, the video display is viewable through the opening. * I *

* JP-A-8206328 discloses a pachinko-type slot machine comprising detecting means to detect a big hit state. When a big hit state occurs, an additional roulette-type game is interlockingly operated with the big hit state in order to prolong the aftertaste. In one exemplary embodiment, the roulette-type game comprises a circular array of LEDs controlled to be sequentially turned on and off to produce a rotational light effect.

JP-A-2000123677 describes a pushbutton switch for a game machine. The pushbutton comprises an operation button to actuate a switch housed in a pushbutton body and display means furnished in a display part on the button. Said display means comprises a LED seven-segment number generating display and a roulette formed by a number of LEDs arranged at certain spacing around the LED seven-segment display. A CPU is installed on the pushbutton body for controlling the display means to display a plurality of display items simultaneously or with a time lag. In one operation mode, the LEDs of the roulette are controlled to be sequentially turned on and off to produce a rotational light effect.

Disclosure of the invention

The present invention essentially provides a coin operated skill game machine comprising a first group of LEDs arranged side by side in a first closed loop configuration and a second group of LEDs arranged adjacent to LEDs of said first group of LEDs, the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs being electrically connected to an electronic circuitry. The skill game machine further comprises a coin/token acceptor device for enabling said electronic circuitry to start a game upon receiving at least one predetermined coin/token, a start pushbutton switch electrically connected to a unit of the electronic circuitry for ordering the electronic circuitry to start a moving light effect based on consecutively turning on and off the LEDs of the first group of LEDs and randomly turning on and off the LEDs of the second group of LEDs, a stop pushbutton electrically connected to a unit of the electronic circuitry for ordering the electronic circuitry to stop said moving light effect letting lit that LED of the first group of LEDs and that or those LEDs of the second group of LEDs that were lit at the stop time, and a :.. prize hopper coin/token feeder activated by the electronic circuitry to pay out at least * , * one coin/token when a hit is reached. The electronic circuitry is configured so that a hit is reached when after the stop time the lit LED of the first group of LEDs is adjacent to 30 one lit LED of the second group of LEDs, and said at least one coin/token is paid out * *. S. * when a predetermined number of hits have been reached.

*:::: The skill game machine is installed in a casing having a back base body and a front door body, wherein the front door body is hinged to said back base body preferably * * about a horizontal axis at the upper end of the casing so as to be movable between open and closed positions. The mentioned prize hopper coin/token feeder and a coin/token collection box are supported on said back base body and said electronic circuitry, said first and second groups of LEDs, said coin/token acceptor device, and said start and stop pushbutton switches are supported on said front door body, so that when the front door body is in the open position the components supported both on the back base body and the front door body are accessible, and when the front door body is in the open position the prize hopper coin/token feeder supported on the back base body is in operative relationship with a prize pay out tray provided on the front door body and the coin/token acceptor device supported on the front door body is in operative relationship with said coin/token collection box to collect the received coins/tokens.

Preferably, the casing is sized so as to be supported on a wall or on a counter, and the front door body defines a window frame supporting a game panel provided with holes through which the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs are visible. The LEDs of the first and second groups of LEDs are distributed in sub-groups of LEDs connected to a number of separate printed circuit boards having a handy size which are then juxtaposed and attached to the rear side of said game panel to form said closed loop configuration of LEDs having a relatively larger size.

With those features, the present invention provides a coin operated skill game machine having a compact configuration, a simple construction virtuafly free of mechanisms, and providing a game easy to play wherein the skifi of the user plays a significant roll.

Brief description of the drawings

The above and other features and advantages will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a front view of a coin operated skill game machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with the casing in a closed position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the skill game machine of Fig.1 with the casing in the S. closed position; Fig. 3 is a side view of the skill game machine with the casing in an open

S S...

position; 5*5I** Fig. 4 is a front view of the skill game machine with the casing in the open position; *.i* : Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the layout of several printed circuit boards S * * to form first, second, third and fourth groups of LEDs on a game board of the skill game machine of Fig 1; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of one of the printed circuit boards of Fig. 5 on which sub-groups of LEDs of first and second groups of LEDs are connected.

Detailed description of an exemplary embodiment

Referring first to Figs. I to 4, the coin operated skill game machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a casing having a back base body 9 and a front door body 10, wherein the front door body is hinged to said back base body 9 to rotate about a horizontal axis 19 at the upper end of the casing between a closed position (Figs. 1 and 2) and an open position (Figs. 3 and 4).

Retaining arms 22 are provided to keep the front door body 10 in the open position and a key-operated lock (not shown) is provided to keep the front door body 10 in the closer position. The casing is of a relatively small size and, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the back base body 9 is configured to be supported on a wall, but alternatively the back base body 9 should be configured to be installed on a horizontal surface, for example, on a counter. However, the hinged connection between the back base body 9 and the front door body 10 is not limited to a hinge about a horizontal axis 19 at the upper end of the casing and other hinges and/or other axis positions will fall within the scope of the present invention.

The skill game machine includes a first group of LEDs 1 arranged side by side in a first closed loop configuration, for example a first circular array, and a second group of LEDs 2 arranged adjacent to LEDs of said first group of LEDs 1. The LEDs of said first group of LEDs 1 are greater in number than the LEDs of said second group of LEDs 2 and the latter are arranged on a second circular array of lesser diameter than said first circular array, so that only a few of the LEDs of the first group of LEDs I are matched up with the LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2. The casing front door body 10 defines a window frame (Fig. 1) supporting a game panel 11 provided with holes through which the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 are visible, and the LEDs of said S...

,. . first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 are electrically connected to an electronic circuitry, as explained below. The game panel 11 is preferably covered by a transparent panel.

S

A coin/token acceptor device 5 is supported to an inner side of the casing front *55I5 S. * door body 10 and has a coin/token slot 20 arranged on the outer side of the front door body 10 for receiving coins/tokens. This coin/token acceptor device 5 is configured to enable said electronic circuitry to start a game upon receiving one or more * IS * predetermined or appropriate coin/token. Inside the back base body 9 a coin/token collection box 6 is attached in such a position that, when the front door body 10 is in the closed position, the coin/token acceptor device 5 is in operative relationship with the coin/token collection box 6 so as the coin/token collection box 6 is able to collect the coins/tokens received through the coin/token acceptor device 5. A coin/token counter (not shown) is located in a well visible place inside the casing and connected to the electronic circuitry to count the coins/tokens entering the coin/token collection box 6 permitting to control the incomes. The electronic circuitry is configured to give an error warning when the coin/token collection box 6 is full, and a switch associated to the coin/token collection box 6 resets the counter when the coin/token collection box 6 is open to be emptied.

A protruding hollow body 17 is attached to the front side of the front door body 10 below the game panel 11. A start pushbutton switch 3 and a stop pushbutton switch 4 are supported on said protruding body 17. Said start pushbutton switch 3 is electrically connected to a unit of the electronic circuitry for ordering the electronic circuitry to start a moving light effect based on consecutively turning on and off the LEDs of the first group of LEDs 1, and at the same time randomly turning on and off the LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2. With the circular array formed by the LEDs of the first group of LEDs 1, said moving light effect is typically a rotating light effect, but other light effects are also possible. Said stop pushbutton switch 4 is electrically connected to a unit of the electronic circuitry for ordering the electronic circuitry to stop said moving light effect letting lit that LED of the first group of LEDs I that is lit at the stop time and that or those LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 that were lit at the stop time. Thus, one of the LEDs of the first group of LEDs 1 and one or more of the LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 will remain lit after the stop pushbutton switch 4 is actuated. The electronic circuitry is configured to recognise that a hit is reached when after the stop time the lit LED of the first group of LEDs I is adjacent to the lit LED or one of the lit LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2.

A prize hopper coin/token feeder 7 is attached to the inner side of the back base body 9 and is activated by the electronic circuitry to pay out one or more coins/tokens when a predetermined number of hits have been reached. The front door body 10, or alternatively said protruding body 17, includes an aperture 21 giving access to a prize "S pay out tray 18 attached to the inner side of the front door body 10 in such a position that, when the front door body 10 is in the closed position, the prize hopper coin/token feeder 7 is in operative relationship with said prize pay out tray 18 so as the one or more coins/tokens delivered by the prize hopper coin/token feeder 7 are received on the prize * pay out tray 18 and a user can take them from the prize pay out tray 18 through said aperture 21. On said front door body 10 there is also supported a voice/sound emitter (not shown) which is in connection with said electronic circuitry to emit different voice/sound messages according to different stages of the game. At least a main par of said electronic circuitry is supported on said front door body 10 as well, and a power supply 8 supported on the back base body 9 is configured and connected to supply the electric and/or electronic components with an appropriate electric current. All the components inside the casing are accessible when the front door body 10 is in the open position.

The electronic circuitry comprises at least an integrated circuit supporting a program providing a number of different game difficulty levels featuring increasing or varying speeds in the moving light effect and a decreasing number of LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 being randomly turned on and off at the same time from the easier game difficulty level to the most difficult game difficulty level. For example, in an exemplary embodiment the program provides three game difficulty levels. When the start pushbutton is first actuated the game begins with the first and lowest game difficulty level, wherein the moving light effect of the first group of LEDs I will turn relatively slowly and three of the LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 will be turned on and off at a time. In the second and medium game difficulty level the speed of the moving light effect will be faster and only two of the LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 will be turned on and off at a time. In the third and highest game difficulty level the speed of the moving light effect will be variable, for example according to a saw-teeth wave pattern, and only one of the LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 will be turned on and off atatime.

The program is configured to begin the game with a number of available lives or chances to play, for example three available lives, and each available life begins with the easiest game difficulty level and automatically changes to the next higher game difficulty level each time a hit is reached. When a hit is reached in the most difficult game difficulty level the voice/sound emitter will reproduce a "winner" sound or voice I..::: message and one or more coins/tokens will be paid out by the prize hopper coin/token feeder 7. Then, one available life is lost and the game begins again with the lowest s... game difficulty level of the next available life, and so forth until all the available lives are *5** lost. If the user fails to match the lit LEDs in any game difficulty level, the available life sSI** * being played is lost and the voice/sound emitter will reproduce a "loser" sound or voice :. message. Then the game will continue with the lowest level of the next available life, if any. When all the available lives are lost, the game is over and the voice/sound emitter will reproduce a "game over" sound or voice message. In any game difficulty level, if the stop pushbutton 4 is not actuated after a predetermined lapse of time from the time at which the start pushbutton switch 3 has been actuated, the program makes an available life to be lost. The skill game machine includes a third group of LEDs 13 in connexion with the electronic circuitry to indicate the game difficulty level that is being played and a fourth group of LEDs 14 in connexion with the electronic circuitry to indicate the number of available lives.

In connection now with Figs. 5 and 6, the way the LEDs of the first, second, third and fourth groups of LEDs 1, 2, 13, 14 are connected to the electronic circuitry according to this exemplary embodiment is described. In this exemplary embodiment, the first group of LEDs I is comprised of eighty LEDs, for example eighty orange LEDs, arranged side to side in a circular array, and the second group of LEDs 2 is comprised of ten LEDs, for example ten red LEDs, arranged at equal angular intervals in a circular array of lesser diameter, such that only one out of eight orange LEDs of the first group of LEDs 1 is adjacent to one red LED of the second group of LEDs 2. Since the circular array of the first group of LEDs I has a relatively large diameter, the LEDs of first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 are distributed in several sub-groups of LEDs connected to a number of separate handy sized printed circuit boards 12, which are then juxtaposed and attached to the rear side of the game panel 11 (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5) to form the circular arrays of LEDs of the first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 having a relatively larger size. In the specific exemplary embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5, the LEDs of first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 are distributed in five printed circuit boards 12, one of them is separately shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, a sub-group of sixteen orange LEDs of the first group of LEDs I and a sub-group of two red LEDs of the second group of LEDs 2 are arranged on each printed circuit board 12 in a seventy two degree circular sector array and electrically connected thereto, and the printed circuit board 12 is configured such that when five of such printed circuit boards 12 identical to that shown in Fig. 6 are juxtaposed and attached to the rear side of the game panel 11 the complete circular array of LEDs of the first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 is *.:::: formed. Obviously, other LED sub-group distributions and/or different number of printed circuit boards, including a unique printed circuit board, are possible for the first and second groups of LEDs 1, 2 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

On the other hand, said third group of LEDs 1 to indicate the game difficulty level * S is comprised of three LEDs, for example three green LEDs, arranged in a row on a printed circuit board 15 and electrically connected thereto. Similarly, the fourth group of ** . LEDs 14 to indicate the available lives is comprised of three LEDs, for example three blue LEDs, arranged in a row on another printed circuit board 16 and electrically connected thereto. The printed circuit boards 15, 16 are also attached to the rear side of said game panel 11, and the game panel 11 is provided with correspondent holes through which the LEDs of the third and fourth groups of LEDs 13, 14 are visible. All the printed circuit boards 12, 15, 16 are electrically connected to the electronic circuitry.

The game panel 11 is able to support any kind of graphic or text information either directly printed thereon, such as by screen printing, or in the form of one or more sheets provided with appropriate holes attached thereon. Also, the front door body 10 provides for a front surface 23 (indicated by doted lines in Fig. 1) intended to support machine operation instructions either directly printed thereon, such as by screen printing, or in the form of a sheet attached thereon, and the coin/token acceptor device 5 includes a front surface 24 (indicated by doted lines in Fig. 1) intended to support coin/token information.

Modifications and variations to the described and shown exemplary embodiment will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the attached claims. * * * .** S... * . *... S... * . S... SS**S * . S. * SS *5 S S. * S S* S.

Claims

1.-A coin operated skill game machine comprising; a first group of LEDs (I) arranged side by side in a first closed loop configuration and a second group of LEDs (2) arranged adjacent to LEDs of said first group of LEDs (1), the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs (1 2) being electrically connected to an electronic circuitry; a coin/token acceptor device (5) for enabling said electronic circuitry to start a game upon receiving at least one predetermined coinltoken; a start pushbutton switch (3) electrically connected to a unit of the electronic circuitry for ordering the electronic circuitry to start a moving light effect based on consecutively turning on and off the LEDs of the first group of LEDs (1) and randomly turning on and off the LEDs of the second group of LEDs (2); a stop pushbutton switch (4) electrically connected to a unit of the electronic circuitry for ordering the electronic circuitry to stop said moving light effect lethng lit that LED of the first group of LEDs (1) and that or those LEDs of the second group of LEDs (2) that were lit at the stop time; and a prize hopper coin/token feeder (7) activated by the electronic circuitry to pay out at least one coin/token, the electronic circuitry being configured so that a hit is reached when after the stop time the lit LED of the first group of LEDs (1) is adjacent to one lit LED of the second group of LEDs (2), and said at least one coin/token is paid out when a predetermined number of hits have been reached.

2 -The machine of claim 1, further comprising a casing having a back base body (9) and a front door body (10) hinged to said back base body (9), wherein said prize hopper coin/token feeder (7) is supported on said back base body (9) and wherein at : least part of said electronic circuitry, said first and second groups of LEDs (1, 2), said coin/token acceptor device (5), said start pushbutton switch (3), and said stop pushbutton switch (4) are supported on said front door body (10).

3.-The machine of claim 2, wherein a coin/token collection box (6) is provided to * collect the coins/tokens received through the coin/token acceptor device (5), said coin/token collection box (6) being supported on the back base body (9). ** .

*

4.-The machine of claim 3, wherein a voice/sound emitter (8) in connection with * * S * said electronic circuitry is provided to emit different voice/sound messages according to different stages of the game.

5.-The machine of claim 4, wherein said voice/sound emitter (8) is supported on said front door body (10).

6.-The machine of claim 3, wherein said front door body (10) defines a window frame supporting a game panel (11) provided with holes through which the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs (1, 2) are visible.

7.-The machine of claim 6, wherein the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs (1 2) are connected to at Least one printed circuit board (12) attached to the rear side of said game panel (11).

8.-The machine of claim 7, wherein the LEDs of said first and second groups of LEDs (1, 2) are connected to a number of juxtaposed printed circuit boards (12) attached to the rear side of said game panel (11).

9.-The machine according to any of claims 7 or 8, further including third group of LEDs (13) in connection with the electronic circuitry to indicate a game difficulty level being played and/or a fourth group of LEDs (14) in connection with the electronic circuitry to indicate a number of available chances to play or lives, wherein the LEDs of said third and/or fourth groups of LEDs (13, 14) are connected to one or more printed circuit boards (15, 16) attached to the rear side of said game panel (11), holes being provided in the game panel (11) through which the LEDs of the third andlor fourth groups of LEDs (13, 14) are visible.

10.-The machine according to any of claims 9, further comprising a power supply (8) supported on the back base body (9) and configured and connected to supply machine electric and/or electronic components with an appropriate electric current.

11.-The machine according to any of claims 6 to 10, wherein the game panel (11) is covered by a transparent panel.

12.-The machine according to any of claims 6 to 11, wherein a protruding body (17) is attached to the front side of the front door body (10) below the game paneL (11), : .. and the start pushbutton switch (3) and the stop pushbutton switch (4) are supported on I..

said protruding body (17).

13.-The machine according to any of claims 6 to 11, wherein the front door body "* 30 (10) or said protruding body (17) includes an aperture (21) giving access to a prize pay * out tray (18) attached to the front door body (10).

14.-The machine of claim 13, wherein the back base body (9) is configured to be :: ; supported on a wall and the front door body (10) is hinged to the back base body (9) to a rotate about a horizontal axis (19) at the upper end of the casing between a closed position, in which the coin/token acceptor device (5) is in operative relationship with the coin/token collection box (6) and the prize hopper coin/token feeder (7) is in operative relationship with said prize pay out tray (18), and an open position, in which the components inside the casing are accessible.

15.-The machine of claim 1, wherein said electronic circuitry comprises at least an integrated circuit supporting a program providing a number of different game difficulty levels having increasing or varying speeds in the moving light effect and a decreasing number of LEDs of the second group of LEDs (2) being randomly turned on and off at the same time from the easiest game difficulty level to the most difficult game difficulty level.

16.-The machine of claim 15, wherein said program is configured to begin the game with the easiest game difficulty level and automatically change to a more difficult game difficulty level each time a hit is reached, at least one coin/token being paid out when a hit is reached in the most difficult game difficulty level.

17.-The machine of claim 16, wherein a third group of LEDs (13) in connexion with the electronic circuitry is provided to indicate the game difficulty level that is being played.

18.-The machine of claim 15, 16 or 17, wherein said program is configured to provide a number of chances to play or lives, each life enabling to consecutively, play all the game difficulty levels from the easiest one to the most difficult one, a life being lost when attempt to reach a hit in any game difficulty level is failed or when a hit is reached in all the consecutive game difficulty levels, the game being over when all the available lives are lost.

19 -The machine of claim 18, wherein said program is configured to make a life to be lost when a predetermined lapse of time between the actuation of the start pushbutton switch (3) and the actuation of the stop pushbutton switch (4) is exceeded.

20.-The machine of claim 18 or 19, wherein a fourth group of LEDs (14) in connexion with the electronic circuitry is provided to indicate the number of available * **. lives. * * *IIS * *

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*..... * * * S ** * S. S

S I I * II