GB2472042A

GB2472042A - Gaming machine with coin monitoring

Info

Publication number: GB2472042A
Application number: GB0912722A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mike Moran
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-07-22
Filing date: 2009-07-22
Publication date: 2011-01-26
Also published as: GB0912722D0

Abstract

A gaining machine comprises a coin insertion slot 1, a receptacle 7 for receiving a coin from the slot 1, a diverter 3 for diverting coins from the receptacle 7, a container 6 for receiving surplus coins diverted by the diverter 3 from the receptacle 7, a door for accessing at least one of the receptacle 7 and the container 6, a door sensor for monitoring the condition of the door and for outputting a signal, a dispenser opening 5 for retrieving a dispensed winning, and weighing means 8, such as a strain gauge, used to determine the number of coins in the receptacle 7. When the door is opened, then a measurement of the weight of the receptacle, such as a coin hopper, is made. When the door is closed, a further measurement is made. These measurements may be recorded with the time and date and stored within the machine or transmitted to a central computer. An alarm may be activated if the measurements are abnormal or suspicious.

Description

It is known that places of entertainment, for instance public houses, offer to their customers additional activities, such as gaming machines and juke boxes.

Typically, in the case of a gaming machine, the player inserts a coin, for instance �1 Sterling, in order to play. If the player is successful and wins, then a prize, which may be a number of coins, will be paid out.

The coins, when inserted to initiate play, fall in to a hopper, from which any prizes will be paid. Before the machine is made available for play, the hopper is initially filled with a predetermined number of coins, in the range 100 to 500, and fixed for each machine. As an example, if a hopper has 250 coins in it as a starting value, if a prize, of say 10 coins, is paid out, the hopper now contains 240 coins, and the next 10 coins to be inserted will fall in to the hopper in order to make up the number to 250.

If the hopper has the predetermined number of coins in it when an additional coin is inserted into the machine, the additional coin will be diverted and fed in to a cash box, where surplus coins accumulate, pending the cash box being emptied.

Such gaming machines will keep a record of the number of coins inserted, and the number paid out in prizes, so it is theoretically possible to know at any time exactly how many coins are in the machine.

The machine will be opened from time to time, for routine or breakdown maintenance, and to empty the cash box. When the cash box is emptied, it may be possible to obtain L. a readout from a display on the machine of the number of coins in the cash box and hopper, or it may be possible to connect a computer to the gaming machine and collect the data directly.

If, however, there is a discrepancy between the machine count of coins, and the actual number in the cash box and in the hopper, it is impossible to establish when the discrepancy occurred.

The present invention overcomes this problem by adding to the hopper a weighing means, whereby the weight of the hopper and contents can be known at all times.

The weighing means may be a strain gauge arrangement, or any similar weighing means, by which the weight of the hopper and contents can be established with a sufficient resolution that the weight established can be converted into an exact number of coins equivalent.

The present invention provides a signal which incorporates the date and time that the machine is opened for any purpose, together with the hopper weight at that instant.

The present invention also provides a signal which incorporates the date and time that the machine door is closed, together with the hopper weight at that instant.

The machine is typically connected via an RS232 link to a local computer server, separate from the gaming machine, which sends the signals thus generated, either via GPRS mobile phone link, or by landline broadband link, to a central computer server located elsewhere, which may be monitoring many such machines, in many different locations, in real time.

If a door open, followed by a door closed signal arrives at the central computer server, whereby the hopper weights differ between the door open and door closed signals, an alarm is generated, so that the incident can be investigated.

The time and date of the signal can provide a good indication of how the difference has arisen; for example, if the signal occurs during daytime, it may coincide with an engineer visit, or with scheduled cash box emptying. If, however, the signal occurs in the early hours of the morning when the entertainment establishment is closed, a

different conclusion can be drawn.

Figure 1 shows the typical arrangement in cross section, where (1) is the coin insertion slot in the front surface (9) of the machine. Coins thus inserted are conveyed by a slide (2) either in to the hopper (7), or if the hopper contents are at maximum, to the cash box (6). A diverter (3) diverts the coin to the hopper (7), or to the cash box (6), where surplus coins accumulate.

If the machine pays out a prize, the prize coins are taken from the hopper (7) via a slide (4) to a tray (5) in an opening in the front of the machine (9) for easy collection by the player. 4-.

The hopper (7) is mounted via a weighing means (8), which may be a strain gauge beam arrangement, or any appropriate weighing means, so that the hopper weight is known at all times.

Claims

Claims 1. A gaming machine comprising a coin insertion slot, a receptacle for receiving a coin from the slot, a diverter for diverting coins from the receptacle, a container for receiving surplus coins diverted by the diverter from the receptacle, a lockable access cover for accessing at least one of the receptacle and the container, monitoring means for monitoring a condition of the access cover and for outputting a corresponding access-cover signal, a dispenser opening for retrieving a dispensed winning, and content-determining means for determining or substantially determining a number of coins in the receptacle and outputting a corresponding receptacle signal.
2. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content-determining C means includes a strain gauge. r
3. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the content-determining means determines a weight of the contents using the strain gauge. c'J
4. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receptacle is a hopper.
5. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a memory storage device for recording the access-cover signal and the receptacle signal so that a comparison can be perfornied.
6. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 5, further comprising date and time means for inputting a date and time of the access-cover signal and receptacle signal to the memory storage device.
7. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein a date and time signal of the date and time means is incorporated with at least the receptacle signal.
8. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a first said access-cover signal is outputted when the access cover is opened, and a second said access-cover signal is outputted when the access cover is closed.
9. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein a first said receptacle signal is outputted with the said first access-cover signal, and a second said receptacle signal is outputted with the second access-cover signal.
10. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising slot monitoring means for monitoring a number of coins passing through the slot and outputting a corresponding signal.
11. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising dispenser monitoring means for monitoring the dispensed winnings and outputting a corresponding signal.

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12. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further (\J comprising a display, the in use content-determining means determining a C\J number of coins within the receptacle based on the receptacle signal and outputting a corresponding signal to the display.
13. A gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a data connector for data connection and transfer with a peripheral computer.
14. A gaming machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the data connector is at least one of wireless and hard-wired.
15. A gaming machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
16. A method of monitoring access to a gaming machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of: a) monitoring a condition of an access cover of the gaming machine and simultaneously or substantially simultaneously the contents of a receptacle within the gaming machine; b) comparing the contents of the receptacle when the access cover is opened with the contents of the receptacle when the access cover is closed; and c) determining if an indicated difference conesponds to an expected procedure.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein, in step c), an occurrence of said indicated difference outputs an alarm.
18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the contents of the receptacle are electronically determined.
19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein a weight of the Q contents of the receptacle is monitored. (\J (\J