JPH06114141A - Reel mount for slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an improved slot machine possible to repair and replace respective modules taking them separate from the machine one another by providing the machine with reels matched to a plural number of axes rotating around a common axis and installing reels respectively onto supports as separated modules. CONSTITUTION: The slot machine 10 is equipped with a plural number of module reels 12 matched in the axial direction, respectively mounted to a support plate 22 and able to put on the slot machine 10 respective reels as modules, which are simply taken off when required for a check or a repair. The main door is provided with an interlock means capable of keeping the top door closed until the main door opens. The coin slot device is made to quickly put in the coin to present an easier enjoyable play. The cabinet has a power supply at the bottom and sidewalls of the power supply box and the cabinets are made easier to open and separate off.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of slot machines used for gaming purposes, and more particularly to an improved mounting unit for the spinning reels of such slot machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An important factor in designing a slot machine or other rotating reel device is its ability to withstand the stress of repeated impact loads caused by rapid acceleration and deceleration of the reel itself. Abrupt changes in reel speed exert forces on the machine body, which causes certain structural components associated with the reel to fatigue and break. There are weaknesses that must be considered to maintain the structural integrity of the reel device, such as wear and tear and wear. As a result of these problems, frequent repairs and maintenance of the reel are required, which adds to the cost of servicing.

Another factor associated with slot machines having spinning reels is the "downtime" of the slot machine due to servicing. This is especially true for slot machines with complex intricate mechanical elements that require multiple spinning reel assemblies to take time to disassemble to reach a failed part. In such disassembly work,
Often a prerequisite is the removal of the entire machine, which must be taken to a remote shop and disassembled there. This means longer downtime for the slot machine and correspondingly higher service costs.

[0004]

Because of these drawbacks, the entire slot machine is disassembled, even when the removable parts are securely attached and maintenance is performed on the reels and other structural parts of the slot machine. There is a need to limit downtime to reduce machine and servicing costs, and to substantially improve such machines. The present invention meets this need.

The slot machine of the present invention comprises a plurality of axially aligned modular reels mounted on a support plate, the reels themselves being individually mounted on the support plate and individually from the support plate. To remove
It can also be inserted individually on the support plate. This facilitates inspection and repair of the slot machine, and each reel unit can be mounted on the slot machine as a module and easily removed from the slot machine. After removing the reel module for repair or servicing, a replacement module can be quickly installed, with almost no downtime. Repair inspections can be performed efficiently and in sequence at specially equipped repair shops, while the slot machine can continue to be used with almost no interruption.

A primary object of the present invention is to have a plurality of axially aligned reels rotating about a common axis, the reels being individually mounted as separate modules on a support, thereby allowing the modules to be separated from each other. An improved slot that can be repaired and replaced separately from the machine.
To provide the machine.

Another object of the invention is an improved mount for modular reels of slot machines,
To provide a mount that separates this mount from other similar mounts for the rest of the slot machine reels and allows the reels to be individually separated from the slot machine for repair or service. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is a slot machine having a front top door interlocking with a quick release means, which is of low cost and is made entirely of metal unlike conventional wooden cabinets. Installed in the cabinet
An object of the present invention is to provide a slot machine capable of preventing electronic parts from being interfered with by electrostatic discharge.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coin inserting device for a slot machine, which allows a user of the machine to quickly supply coins.

[0010]

Other objects of the invention include a power mount as will become apparent in the following description, various embodiments of which will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A slot machine having a reel mount of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in FIG. This slot machine has three spinning reels 12,
14 and 16, the reels being rotatable by a separate stepper motor, described below, about a common, generally horizontal axis 18. Reel 12, 1
Reference numerals 4 and 16 are of ordinary structure and have an outer peripheral surface 17
(FIG. 3) with the symbols and other indicia on the reel strip. These symbols can match the paylines of the slot machine 10 window,
When the player pulls down on the handle or other actuator, three symbols, one on each reel, are aligned and can be seen through the window. When these symbols form a combination, the slot machine pays out tokens or coins and the player can win them.

Each reel 12, 14 or 16 each has a mount or mount 20 which is schematically shown in FIG. 1 by a rectangular bar. The mount 20 is provided for each reel so that the reel can be detachably mounted on the upper surface 24 of the support plate 22. Support plate 22
Has three stations 27, 29, 31 (FIG. 3) for each reel 12, 14, 16.

In the past, a single common support was used to mount all three reels 12, 14, 16 on the support plate 22 simultaneously. Various reels 12, 14,
By providing individual mounts 20 for 16, each reel can be modular and can be separated from the support plate 22 without removing the other reels. This allows the slot machine to be inspected and repaired economically and the reels to be replaced quickly. The method of coupling the mount 20 to the corresponding reel is detailed in FIG.

Each reel 12, 14, 16 has a reel chassis 26 (FIG. 4) which has a pair of angled legs 28, 30. These legs make an angle with respect to each other. The upper ends of the legs support a frame 32, on which a step motor 34
Is attached. The step motor is secured to the chassis 26 with screws 33 etc., which chassis is shown in more detail in FIG.

Chassis 2 of each reel 12, 14 or 16
6 has a base 38, which supports the support plate 22.
It is adapted to ride on the upper surface 24 of the (FIG. 1). A hole 40 is formed in the upper surface of the base 38 to receive a multi-stage connector plug (not shown) used to connect an external circuit to the step motor and the optical sensor 47. There is. The flat sides 42 of the base 38 engage a pair of guides 44 (FIG. 3) on the support plate 22 when the chassis 26 is placed in axial alignment with another reel as shown in FIG. It is supposed to meet. The chassis 26 is preferably molded of plastic to reduce production costs.

The reel has a pair of rings 50, 52 which are attached by spokes 54, 56 to a hub 58 which is connected to shaft 36 by a sleeve 60. A push ring 61 is screwed onto the end of the shaft 36, and the push ring 61 connects the step motor 34 to the reel. Optical sensor 47
Cooperates with a slotted cylindrical flange (not shown separately) on the corresponding reel to determine the instantaneous position of the reel as well as the indicia of the reel strip. It can be learned from the moving slots.

The support plate 22 has a pair of guides 44 for each of its reel stations 27, 29 or 31, which guide plates, if the support plate 22 is made of metal. It is usually formed by stamping and then stretching the metal. If the support plate 22 is made of plastic, the support plate and the guide 44 can be integrally molded.

When punching the support plate 22,
At one end, a rim 62 is also formed at one end of the hole 64. At the opposite end of the support plate 22, a lip 66 is stamped, which has the form shown in FIG. Lip 66
It is intended to provide a space 67 for inserting a protrusion (FIGS. 2, 4) on an adjacent end 69 (FIG. 3) of the base 38 of the chassis 26. The trailing edge 70 (FIG. 4) has a slot 72 that receives a portion 74 of the edge 62 (FIG. 3) of the support plate 22.

Extension 68 is moved into space 67 under lip 66 in the manner shown in FIG. At this time, since the lip 73 has moved into the hole 64 (FIG. 3), the lip 73 is slightly below the lip edge 62, and the chassis 26 is located above the projection 68 and the lip 73.
With it, it is pushed into place and moved under the lip 62 of the support plate. The lip 73 has a width approximately equal to the width of the hole 64. Therefore, the ends of the lip 73 will engage adjacent sides of the support plate 22 and prevent the base 38 from moving in directions other than the longitudinal direction. With this arrangement, the reel becomes modular and the support plate 2
It becomes possible to remove it separately from 2.

In use, three reels 12, 1
4, 16 and their mounts 20 are mounted in place on the upper surface 24 of the support plate 22 at their respective stations 27, 29, 31 as shown in FIG. At each station, the mount 20 is formed on a support plate 22 as shown in FIGS.
The reels will be individually joined to the support plate by using the structural components shown in FIGS.

When it is desired to remove one of the reels from the support plate 22, for example when inspecting or repairing, first the various electrical conductors are connected to the quick-connect electrical plug.
Use connector to disconnect from reel itself to minimize inspection time. Next, the reel is pulled to the left as viewed in FIG. 3 and separated from the support plate 22. At this time, the lip 74 separates from the hole 64 and the rod 68 separates from the lip 66. The other reel remains in place on the support plate, during which the replacement reel, which replaces the removed reel, can be quickly installed. The removed reel can be repaired slowly without affecting the downtime of the slot machine.

In the case of a modular reel construction, the reel width can be varied to provide wider or narrower reels by using different rings 52 (rings 50 remain the same) having spokes of slightly different sizes in the axial direction. It is easy to use reel strips.

6 and 7 are front and side views of a housing or cabinet for the slot machine of the present invention. The housing is shown generally at 80 and includes an upper or top door 82, an intermediate or main door 84, and a lower door 86 below it. The doors 84,86 can swing about the tilt axis indicated by line 89 (FIG. 6).

In FIG. 10 (a), there is a top door 82 having a pair of sides (only one shown).
A fragmentary perspective view of is shown. Each side is shown at 83 and is connected at one end to the bottom 85. Cabinet 8
7 (FIG. 10 (b)) has slots 91 at each of its opposite sides that receive tabs 93 carried by sides 83 of top door 82. Tab 93
It has a slot 95, which sits on the edge 97 at the lower end of the slot 91 as shown in FIG. Thus, the tab 93 can be lowered relative to the adjacent side 87a after it is inserted into the slot. The tab will then interlock with the side 87a because the rim 97 is within the slot 95.
Thus, it is not necessary to hinge the top door 82 to the cabinet side portion 87a. Simply move the top door from the front of the cabinet into the plane of the top door and the tab 9
3 can be moved above the lower edge 97 of the slot 91 (FIG. 10 (b)).

An automatic mutual locking device 90 (shown in FIGS. 8 and 9) is provided for the top door 82 and the main door 84. This interlocking device is defined as a hook-like element 91 on the lower flange 92 of the top door 82 (FIGS. 9, 1).
0). The main door 84 has an element 91 as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
It has an upper flange 85 which hooks up. The top door 82 cannot be opened unless the main door 84 is open. Thus, when the main door is closed, the master locks the top door 82 in place. In addition, the entire cabinet or housing 80 is made of sheet metal, rather than the traditional wooden material, to protect the internal electronic components from electrostatic discharge.

Improved coin insertion device 93 (see FIGS. 11 and 1)
2, 13) includes a base 94 having a flat upper surface 95 extending substantially the entire length of the support 94. The base 94 also has a pair of angled converging surface segments 96 adjacent to the coin slot 97 on the back of the coin insertion device 93.

A pair of guide surfaces 98 are provided so as to be inclined, and these guide surfaces are located at both ends of the slot as shown in FIG. The surface segment 96 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the coin insertion device 93 extends from the front edge 99 to the coin slot 97. According to this coin insertion design, coins can be quickly fed into the slot machine, and the slot machine can be used more easily and faster. Typically, the coin insertion device 9
3 can accommodate up to 10 coins on the surface segment 96. FIG. 13 shows the coin direction after the coin 100 has moved through the coin slot 97.

As shown in FIG. 6, a power supply box 101 (FIG. 14) is supported inside the lower portion of the housing 80. The power supply box 101 has a pair of spaced tabs 102 provided on the side edges 103 (FIG. 14) of the top plate to facilitate inspection. These tabs are each lance 104 stamped from the sidewall 105 inward of the housing 80 as shown in FIG.
It is retained within and can be quickly released from lock with it. This method of connecting the power supply box 101 to the cabinet wall 105 by the tab allows the power supply box 101 to be connected, for example
Pass the screw 107 through the flange hole 109 of No. 01
It can be held securely in place and quickly removed by simply screwing together two nuts (not shown).

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a slot machine having three axially aligned modular reels that may be individually separated from a support plate in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing one of the reel mounts.

3 is a perspective view of one reel of the slot machine of FIG. 1, in which it can be moved into or out of connection with the base plate independently of the other reels of the slot machine. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a step motor for one reel and a structure for connecting the step motor to a support plate.

5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the reel separated from the step motor.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the housing of the slot machine, showing the front main door and the top door in a closed state.

7 is a side view of the housing of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary schematic view of the top door and a part of the main door, showing the two doors locked together when the main door is closed.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the top door and the main door, showing the mutually locked state when the main door is partially opened and the top door is closed.

10 (a) is an enlarged fragmentary schematic view of the frame element of the top door shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 (b) is a view similar to FIG. 10 (a), showing an adjacent part of the cabinet closed by the top door. Is.

FIG. 11 is a top view of a coin insertion device that allows coins to be quickly fed into the slot machine so that the game can be more easily enjoyed.

12 is a front view of the coin insertion device of FIG.

13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a power supply box having two tabs that interlock with a lance on the cabinet wall.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 slot machine 12, 14, 16 rotating reel 18 common axis 20 reel mount 22 support plate 24 upper surface 26 reel chassis 27, 29, 31 station 28 tilt leg 30 tilt leg 32 frame 33, 107 screw 34 step motor 36 axis 38 base 40, 64 hole 42 side surface 44 guide 47 optical sensor 50, 52 ring 54, 56 spoke 58 hub 60 sleeve 61 push ring 62 edge 66, 73 lip 67 space 68 protrusion 70 trailing edge 72 slot 80 housing or cabinet 82 Top Door 84 Main Door 86 Lower Door 87 Cabinet 90 Automatic Mutual Locking Device 91 Slot 93 Coin Inserting Device 94 Base 95 Upper Surface 96 Surface Segment 97 Coin Slot 98 Gas Id surface 100 Coin 101 Power supply box 102 Tab 103 Side edge 104 Lance 105 Cabinet wall 109 Flange hole

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Scott A Winzeler USA Nevada 89509 Leno Number 197 Talbot Lane 4959 (72) Inventor Jacqueline Esconds USA Nevada 89436 Sparks May Drive 110 (72) Inventor Philip Seabury United States Nevada 89431 Sparks Roundhouse Road 2386

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A support, a plurality of rotatable reels,
Mounting means mounted on the support in the operating position so that each reel can be rotated about its axis,
A slot machine comprising mounting means adapted to remove a corresponding reel from a support when the other reel remains in its respective operating position, and power means for rotating the reel. 2. The slot machine of claim 1, wherein the mounting means includes a frame and the power means includes step motor means coupled to the reel for rotating the reel about the axis. Characteristic slot machine. 3. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the power means includes a motor for each reel, and each motor has a drive shaft extending the same as the axis. 4. The slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the motor is a step motor. 5. A slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel includes a chassis having protrusions on both ends thereof, and the support includes a plate having slot means for receiving the respective protrusions. Characteristic slot machine. 6. The slot machine of claim 5, wherein the slot means has a first slot at one end that extends forward and a second slot at the opposite end that extends rearward with respect to the one end.
A slot machine characterized in that it has a slot whereby the chassis can move in one direction connecting it to the support and in the opposite direction separating it from the support. 7. The slot machine of claim 1 including guide means for engaging the sides of the reel chassis to position it in a fixed position with respect to the slot. . 8. A slot machine having a plurality of rotatable reels, each reel being provided with means for attaching the reel to a support at each operating position so that it can rotate about its axis, and this attachment means is provided. However, the slot machine is characterized in that the corresponding reel can be removed from the support while the other reels remain in their respective operating positions. 9. The slot machine of claim 8 wherein said reel includes a chassis with protrusions on both ends thereof and said support includes a plate having slot means for receiving each protrusion. Characteristic slot machine. 10. The slot machine of claim 8 wherein the slot means has a first slot at one end that extends forward and a second slot at the opposite end that extends rearward with respect to the one end. , A slot machine characterized in that the chassis can move in one direction connecting it to the support and in the opposite direction separating it from the support. 11. The slot machine of claim 8 including guide means for engaging the sides of the reel chassis to position it in a fixed position with respect to the slot. . 12. A cabinet having a front opening,
The main door hinged to one side near the center of the cabinet, the top door removably attached to the cabinet above the main door, and the top door closed when the main door is in the closed position. A slot machine, comprising: mutual locking means for holding and allowing the top door to be removed when the main door is open. 13. A slot machine according to claim 12, wherein said interlocking means comprises a hook-like element provided at the bottom of a top door, said main door being hook-like when it is closed. A slot machine having a generally horizontal upper flange received in an element, the top door having a tab and the cabinet having a slot for removably receiving the tab. 14. The slot machine according to claim 12, wherein the cabinet is made of sheet metal and has an enhanced protection capability against electrostatic discharge. 15. A pair of relatively converging surfaces, including a base having a substantially flat upper surface and a coin slot provided along a back wall of the base, the base sloping relative to the surface. Characterized by having a segment and rapidly supplying coins to the coin slot to be used for playing a game combined with a slot machine, so that the user of the slot machine can enjoy the game combined therewith. Coin insertion device. 16. The slot machine according to claim 12, wherein the inclined segment is adapted to accommodate up to 10 coins.
Machine. 17. A slot machine having a power supply within a housing having side walls, wherein the power supply box has a generally horizontal upper flat surface, one edge of the upper flat surface being integral with the edge of the box. A slot machine provided with at least one tab, said side edge having a lance for receiving a tab of a power supply box. 18. The slot machine according to claim 17, wherein the lance is stamped from the side wall and is integral with the side wall. 19. A slot machine comprising a cabinet having a front opening, the cabinet being made of sheet metal to enhance protection against electrostatic discharge.