NL192803C - Cash machine with a stop button for prematurely stopping rotating bodies. - Google Patents

Description

1 192803

Cash machine with a stop button for prematurely stopping rotating bodies

The invention relates to a cash machine, comprising: win symbols carrying rotating bodies, which can be stopped by switching on a random generator on arresting positions that cannot be predicted by a player for indicating the game result, the random generator determining addresses of arresting positions, which addresses indicate target arresting positions , on which the rotational bodies are to be stopped, and places these addresses in address registers associated with the rotational bodies; position sensing means which determine the actual positions of the rotating bodies in order to generate a stop signal to be sent to the relevant rotating body in the case of a correspondence between alignment positions and actual arresting positions determined by address comparison means; profit observation means, which contain a profit value memory related to detent positions and determine any profit achieved in the form of profit value signals associated with the detention positions; and a stop key for prematurely stopping the rotating body on the probability of a game result holding directional detent positions.

A cash slot machine of the aforementioned type is known from German patent application 3001551. The random generator of the known cash slot machine forms random numbers, from which a profit recognizer determines the profit that may later be distributed. The random numbers are also written as stop addresses at a time determined by a game sequence control in marker elements associated with each individual rotary body. Sensors on the rotating bodies control the contents of a position recognizer, so that the current position address of each rotating body is always known. When the current position address 20 corresponds to the marked stop address, a stop signal is generated, whereby the relevant rotating body is immediately stopped.

It is customary to use a stop button for prematurely stopping the rotating body, with which no profit benefits may be achieved as a result of applicable legal provisions. With the stop key in the known ATMs, the marking time could be moved forward if the chance is maintained. However, between actuation of the stop button and the stop of the rotating body, a delay of up to the time required for one revolution can paralyze the gaming pleasure, in particular when a game result without profit is set.

The object of the invention is to provide a slot machine of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph which, if the random result of the game result is maintained, shortens the freezing procedure after the stop button has been operated, in particular when the game result is small or not at all will bring profit.

The object is achieved in that the invention is characterized by a correspondence generator which is actuated by the stop key and which is controlled by the profit value signal, which provides alternative setting positions for stopping the rotational body for indicating the determined profit and in addition to the directional setting placed in the address register sends to the address comparison means generating the standstill signal.

Profit symbols that lead to small wins are arranged on the rotating body a number of times in accordance with their frequent occurrence, so that from a random circumferential position to the next repetition symbol or alternative symbol, only a small circumferential angle need be covered. The delay after pressing the stop button is correspondingly short and the player gets the impression that he can immediately stop the rotating body. However, if the random generator has determined the highest possible gain, which can be achieved, for example, with a probability of 7 x 10'5, a delay must be taken into account when the stop key is actuated, since the associated symbol is provided only once.

45

The invention will be elucidated in the following description with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing. The only figure of the drawing comprises a block diagram with all parts of a cash machine that are important for the understanding of the invention.

At the start of the game, a game course control indicated by 1 causes three cylindrical rotating bodies 2, 3 and 4 to rotate via separate control lines 5, 6 and 7 and with the aid of separate motors 8, 9 and 10. The rotating bodies 2, 3 and 4 are provided with profit symbols on the periphery on detent positions to be provided by the respective motor 8, 9 and 10. The rotation bodies 2, 3 and 4 are coupled to optoelectric position sensors 11, 12 and 13, which each influence a position register 14, 15 and 16, so that for each rotation body 2, 3 and 4 a position recognizer 11, 14; 12, 15 and 13, 16 are formed, the contents of which represent the current position address of the respective rotating body 2, 3 and 4.

The game progression controller 1 starts - also at the start of the game - via an activation line 17 192803 2 a random generator 18, which determines in a known manner three stop addresses for the three rotation bodies 2, 3 and 4, which in three address registers 19, 20 and 21 are stored to be on output line 22, 23 and 24 thereof.

The output lines 22, 23 and 24 lead to a profit recognizer 25, which determines the associated profit from the combination of the 5 stop addresses and puts it on its output 26 in coded form.

At a certain point in time, the game progress control 1 sends a first control signal via a control line 27 to an address comparator 28, which is connected on the one hand via the output lines 22, 23 and 24 to the address registers 19, 20 and 21 and on the other hand to the position registers 14,15 and 16 . The first control signal activates a first rotation body 2 relating to comparison circuit 29, which, according to the stop address and current position address 10, sends a stop signal to the motor 8 via the control line 5, which then remains immediately in the detent position with the stop address in which at least one win symbol, which forms a partial result, is shown through a window for the rotating body 2 not shown.

From the partial result, the player can determine the possible achievable profit, where it is known that small profits are often paid out and large profits are rarely paid out. In order to take into account the temperament of the player, a restart key 30 is arranged under the first rotation body 2, after the operation, which is only active within a signaled phase, of which the game progress control 1 completely repeats the operation described above. The random generator 18 is also restarted in order to load the address registers 19, 20 and 21 with new stop addresses.

After the detent position for the first rotation body 2 has been determined, it is possible for the second rotation body 3 to stop it prematurely by pressing a stop button 31 arranged under the rotation body 3.

A possibly generated stop signal enters via a line 32 into a first activation input 33 of a match generator 34. This is connected to the output 26 of the profit recognizer 25 and generates alternative stop addresses for the second rotary body 3. Alternative stop addresses mean 25 detent positions, in which the rotating body indicates a symbol which has the same value as the original symbol, or indicates the profit achieved in combination with the other symbols and stored in a memory S of the correspondence generator 34.

To form the alternative stop addresses, the matching generator 34 supplies all addresses of the two rotary body 3 one after the other via a multiple line 35 to the profit recognizer 30, which, because it knows the stop address of the first rotary body 2, supplies the possibly occurring gains back reports to the match generator 34. The reported gains are compared with the gains originally determined and stored in memory S in a comparison circuit V and stored in a register 3R for alternative stop addresses, and then stored via a multiple line 36 to the comparator 37 associated with the second rotary body 3 of the address comparator 28, which is thereby activated.

As soon as the current address from the position register 15 corresponds to either the original or one of the alternative stop addresses, the comparison circuit 37 sends the stop signal by the game sequence controllers 1 via control line 6 to the motor 9 of the second rotation body 3, so that the latter the associated detent position remains and loads the stop address of the position register 15 into the 40 address register 20.

When the stop key 31 is not actuated, the game progress control 1 sends a second control signal via the control line 27 to the address comparator 28 at a specific time, in order to stop the second rotation body 3 at the stop address stored in the address register 20.

The third rotation body 4 - like the second - can either be stopped prematurely with a stop button 38 or at a time determined by the game progress control 1.

A special case occurs when the stop button 31 for prematurely stopping the second rotating body 3 would be pressed after the profit recognizer 25 has signaled a zero profit. The match generator 34 then supplies all addresses as stop addresses to the comparison circuit 37, so that the rotating body 3 is immediately stopped at the detent position with the current address in the position register 50. The stop address is loaded back into the address register 20. The correspondence generator 34 now determines - without the need to actuate the stop key 38 for the third rotation body 4 - with the aid of the profit recognizer 25 stop addresses for the third rotation body 4, in the associated detent positions of which the third rotation body 4 will symbolize that also in combination with the symbols which indicate the two stationary rotating bodies 2 and 3, does not mean a gain 55. When the comparison circuit 39 associated with the third rotary body 4 is activated - either prematurely by the stop key 38 or at the time determined by the game sequence control 1 - only stop addresses of the match generator 34 are sent to the address comparison.

Claims (4)

13 192803 The data processing parts 1,14 to 19, 33 to 37 and 39 shown in blocks are physically indicated on a common board as an integrated circuit, including a microprocessor. The profit recognizer 25 includes three programmable dead memories (PROMs) for the three rotary bodies 2, 3 and 4 which record the gains associated with respective detents. If the symbols indicated on the detent positions are changed, the PROMs must be exchanged in order to adapt the profit determination carried out in the establishment to the profits indicated by the changed symbols. Instead of registers 3R and 4R, a freely accessible memory (RAM) can also be used to implement the matching generator 34, until the microprocessor has access to the memory locations which can be addressed with the position addresses of the rotary bodies 3 and 4. As already described, the profit determined in the profit recognizer 25 is stored coded in the memory S. Thereby, a priority signal is formed which causes the microprocessor to terminate its running operations at a suitable location, and then successively pass all position addresses of the rotating bodies 3 and 4 to the profit recognizer 25 and the RAM. When the profit recognizer 25 has determined a profit from the supplied position addresses corresponding to the profit written in the memory S, the comparison circuit V forms a one, which is stored in the addressed memory location of the RAM. When the gains deviate from each other, the comparison circuit V forms a zero which is stored in the addressed memory location. After all addresses have been issued, the microprocessor resumes normal operation. After actuation of the stop keys 31 or 38, the microprocessor is interrupted again to stop the rotating bodies 3 or 4 prematurely. To this end, it calls the current position addresses from the position registers 15 or 16 to read the contents from the memory location associated with these addresses in the RAM. When reading a one, the microprocessor forms the stop signal for the immediate stop of the rotating bodies 3 and 4. When reading a zero, the microprocessor waits for the next actual position position from the position register 15 eo 16, in order to read the contents. from the next memory location in RAM. This operation is repeated so many times until one reads before stopping on a read cycle. The described determination of the alternative stop addresses is performed at rest time. Although this can also be done in real time (real time), execution in rest time is preferred, because this allows a simple function check. For example, the coded profit sip formed by the profit recognizer 25 can be supplied via a decoder to a numerical display indicating the determined profit. After all rotation bodies 2-4 have been stopped, the profit determined by the profit symbols must correspond to the previously determined and numerically indicated profit. 35 1. A slot machine, comprising: win symbols carrying rotating bodies, which can be stopped by activating a random generator on detent positions for a player which cannot be predicted, for indicating the game result, wherein the random generator determines addresses of detent positions, which addresses indicate target detent positions, on which the rotating bodies must be stopped, and these addresses are placed in address registers associated with the rotating bodies; position sensing means, which determine the actual positions of the rotating bodies in order to generate a stop signal to be sent to the relevant rotating body in the case of a correspondence between alignment positions and actual detent positions determined by address comparison means; profit observation means, which contain a profit value memory related to detent positions and determine any profit achieved in the form of profit value signals associated with the detention positions; and a stop key for prematurely stopping the rotating body on the probability of a game result holding directional arresting positions, characterized by activating a matching generator (34) controlled by the stop key (31, 38) and controlled by the profit value signal 50, which for stopping the rotary body determines alternative directional detent positions for indicating the determined gain and sends it to the address comparison means (28) generating the standstill signal in addition to the directional detent position placed in the address register (19-21). An automatic gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the matching generator (34) comprises a 55 address generator (A), the addresses of which are supplied to the profit sensing means (25), which, by combining the addresses supplied with the existing stop address or the existing stop addresses of the rotational body or rotational bodies which have already been stopped (2 or 2 and 3) returns a 192803 4 encoded profit value signal at its output (26) to the matching generator (34), the profit value signal of which is equal to indicate the gain value signal in memory as alternative addresses of directional detent positions for the rotational bodies (3 or 4) to be stopped. A slot machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the match generator (34) comprises: a memory (S) for storing the signal representing the height of the win; comparing means (V) to which the gain displayed signal is applied as a reference signal when determining the alternative addresses of the detents; and at least one register (3R, 4R) associated with the rotation body (3, 4) for storing the alternative addresses for the detents. A slot machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profit value memory of the profit detection means (25) comprises an exchangeable read-only memory (ROM) placed at the rotating bodies (2-4). Hereby 1 sheet drawing