US20130173053A1 - Bill Acceptor For a Gaming Machine - Google Patents
Bill Acceptor For a Gaming Machine Download PDFInfo
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- US20130173053A1 US20130173053A1 US13/705,749 US201213705749A US2013173053A1 US 20130173053 A1 US20130173053 A1 US 20130173053A1 US 201213705749 A US201213705749 A US 201213705749A US 2013173053 A1 US2013173053 A1 US 2013173053A1
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- Prior art keywords
- bill
- bill acceptor
- pattern
- controller
- acceptor
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- Abandoned
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- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000005286 illumination Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000003213 activating effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000000370 acceptor Substances 0.000 description 35
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000000246 remedial effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000009987 spinning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004364 calculation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011160 research Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010200 validation analysis Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
- G07D7/00—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
- G07D7/00—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency
- G07D7/04—Testing magnetic properties of the materials thereof, e.g. by detection of magnetic imprint
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
- G07D7/00—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency
- G07D7/06—Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency using wave or particle radiation
- G07D7/12—Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
- G07D7/121—Apparatus characterised by sensor details
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/3202—Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
- G07F17/3216—Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
- G07F17/32—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements
- G07F17/3225—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
- G07F17/3232—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users wherein the operator is informed
- G07F17/3234—Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users wherein the operator is informed about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
Definitions
- This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a bill acceptor for a gaming machine and to a method of operating a bill acceptor of a gaming machine.
- gaming machines It is becoming more and more prevalent for gaming machines to accept “paper” money or bank notes from players wishing to play gaming machines. As a result, more and more gaming machines include bill acceptors for such bank notes.
- the bill acceptor is a sensitive item, it may have a tendency to have a high rejection rate. As a result, a gaming machine equipped with such a bill acceptor may not be frequented by players wishing to use bank notes due to the rejection of the bank notes by the bill acceptor.
- a bill acceptor for a gaming machine comprising:
- a sensing device at an input region of the receiving zone for sensing at least one characteristic of the bill
- a controller in communication with the sensing device for receiving an output signal from the sensing device
- an annunciator controlled by the controller to be activated when a bill acceptance rate of the controller drops below a predetermined threshold.
- bill is to be understood in this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as a form of paper currency such as a bank note.
- bill acceptance rate as it is used in this, specification is to be understood, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as the number of bills which are accepted in a batch of bills tendered to the gaming machine. It does not refer to the speed with which the controller accepts or rejects a tendered bill.
- the receiving zone may incorporate a platen on which the bill is received and a slot at an end of the platen into which the bill is to be inserted.
- the platen may be arranged in a midtrim of the machine.
- the sensing device may be arranged within the machine, inwardly of the slot.
- the sensing device may sense at least one of optical, magnetic and dimensional characteristics of the bill. In use, more than one of these characteristics may be sensed by the sensing device to reduce the prevalence of fraudulent or counterfeit bills.
- the receiving zone may include an attracting means for indicating to a patron where the bill is to be inserted into the slot.
- the attracting means may comprise an array of illuminating elements arranged in the platen of the receiving zone.
- annunciator may also be arranged in the receiving zone.
- the controller may cause the array of illuminating elements to be illuminated in a predetermined, first pattern and the annunciator may be implemented in the form of an illumination of the illuminating elements in a second, different pattern.
- the illuminating elements may be, for example, light emitting diodes (LED's).
- the LED's may be arranged in two rows. The rows may converge towards the slot.
- the first pattern may comprise sequential energising of corresponding LED's in each row followed by sequential de-energising of the corresponding LED's in each row. This may then constitute the first pattern.
- all the LED's may be energised so that they are all simultaneously illuminated and this may constitute the second pattern being the implementation of the annunciator.
- the second pattern may be activated after completion of the first pattern when the bill acceptance rate has dropped below said predetermined threshold.
- This predetermined threshold may be set as desired by an operator of the gaming machine.
- the threshold may be a bill acceptance rate of about 70% to 90% of tendered bills, preferably about 75% to 85% of tendered bills and, optimally, about 80% of tendered bills.
- the gaming machine may be connected to a network.
- a network monitoring system may monitor the acceptance rate of bills by the controller and may activate an alarm means when the acceptance rate drops below the predetermined threshold. This gives venue operating and service personnel an on-line and immediate indicator of the performance of the bill acceptor of the gaming machine.
- the monitoring system may activate a visual or audible alarm indicating the need for attention to the bill acceptor.
- a bill acceptor of a gaming machine including the steps of:
- the method may include energising illuminating elements of the bill acceptor in a predetermined pattern and, when the bill acceptance rate drops below said threshold, energising the illuminating elements in a second, different pattern, said second pattern of illumination of the illuminating elements serving as the annunciator.
- the second pattern of illumination of the illuminating elements may follow completion of the first pattern.
- the method may include transmitting a signal on the network to which the gaming machine is connected to a network monitoring system to activate an alarm means when the bill acceptance rate drops below said predetermined threshold.
- FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a gaming machine
- FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the gaming machine
- FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a controller of a bill acceptor of the gaming machine
- FIG. 4 shows a sequence of illumination of illuminating elements of the bill acceptor of the gaming machine.
- FIG. 5 shows operation of an annunciator of the bill acceptor of the gaming machine.
- reference numeral 10 generally designates a gaming machine, including a game, in accordance with the invention.
- the machine 10 includes a console 12 having a video display unit 14 on which a game 16 is played, in use.
- the game 16 is a spinning reel game which simulates the rotation of a number of spinning reels 18 .
- a midtrim 20 of the machine 10 houses a bank 22 of buttons for enabling a player to play the game 16 .
- the midtrim 20 also houses a credit input mechanism 24 including a coin input chute 24 . 1 and a bill collector 24 . 2 .
- the mechanism 24 may, in addition to the coin input chute 24 . 1 and the bill collector 24 . 2 , include a credit card reader (not shown) or any other type of validation device.
- the machine 10 includes a top box 26 on which artwork 28 is carried.
- the artwork 28 includes paytables, details of bonus awards, etc.
- a coin tray 30 is mounted beneath the console 12 for cash payouts from the machine 10 .
- a control means or control circuit 32 is illustrated.
- a program which implements the game and user interface is run on a processor 34 of the control circuit 32 .
- the processor 34 forms part of a controller 36 which drives the screen of the video display unit 14 and which receives input signals from sensors 38 .
- the sensors 38 include sensors associated with the bank 22 of buttons and touch sensors mounted in the screen.
- the controller 36 also receives input pulses from the mechanism 24 indicating that a player has provided sufficient credit to commence playing.
- the controller 36 drives a payout mechanism 40 which, for example, may be a coin hopper for feeding coins to the coin tray 30 to make a pay out to a player when the player wishes to redeem his or her credit.
- a payout mechanism 40 which, for example, may be a coin hopper for feeding coins to the coin tray 30 to make a pay out to a player when the player wishes to redeem his or her credit.
- the bill acceptor 24 . 2 includes a platen 42 leading to an input slot 44 .
- An illuminating means in the form of an array of light emitting diodes (LED's) 46 is arranged in the platen 42 of the bill acceptor 24 . 2 .
- the bill acceptor 24 . 2 further includes a sensing device in the form of a sensor array 48 ( FIG. 3 ).
- the sensor array 48 senses optical, magnetic and dimensional characteristics or properties of a bill tendered to the bill acceptor 24 . 2 of the gaming machine 10 .
- the sensor array 48 outputs signals on line 50 to a controller 52 .
- the controller 52 is a bill acceptor controller and communicates with the controller 34 of the gaming machine 10 .
- the controller 52 includes a group of counters 54 .
- a first counter of the group of counters 54 is incremented each time a bill is accepted by the bill acceptor 24 . 2 .
- a bill when a bill is tendered to the bill acceptor 24 . 2 by being placed on the platen 42 it is received in the slot 44 and is drawn into the sensor array 48 by a transport motor 56 under the action of the controller 52 .
- the bill is then sensed by the sensor array 48 which determines whether or not its optical, magnetic and dimensional properties meet the required criteria. If the bill is accepted, the transport motor 56 is again energised which feeds the bill to a receptacle (not shown) contained within the console 12 of the gaming machine 10 .
- the first counter of the group of counters 54 is incremented by one.
- the transport motor 56 is operated in the reverse direction and the note is ejected from the slot 44 of the bill acceptor 24 . 2 .
- a second counter of the group of counters 54 is incremented by one.
- the controller 52 After each tender of a bill, the controller 52 updates its calculation of the bill acceptance rate (BAR) according to the formula:
- the array of LED's 46 of the bill acceptor 24 . 2 is energised in a predetermined, first pattern under the action of the controller controlling a lighting system 58 .
- a typical pattern is as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings and is designated generally by the reference numeral 60 .
- the array 46 comprises eight LED's 62 arranged in two converging rows 64 .
- the rows 64 converge towards the slot 44 of the bill acceptor 24 . 2 .
- the first LED 62 in each row is energised.
- first is meant those LED's furthest from the slot 44 .
- the second state the first LED's 62 remain energised and the second LED's 62 are also energised.
- the third LED 62 in each row 64 and fourth LED 62 in each row 64 are energised, respectively.
- the first LED's 62 are de-energised while the remaining LED's 62 in each row remain energised.
- the second LED 62 in each row 64 is de-energised and in the seventh state the third LED 62 in each row is de-energised.
- the pattern 64 continues indefinitely.
- a technician can, by monitoring the pattern 60 , determine whether or not the BAR of the controller 52 is above the required threshold and, if not, is alerted by the annunciator as implemented by the pattern 66 to take the appropriate remedial action.
- the pattern 66 which functions as the annunciator for the technician, is discrete and that a player playing the gaming machine 10 using other means of credit input, such as coins or a card, is not disturbed by the change in pattern on the bill acceptor 24 . 2 .
- the gaming machine 10 may be connected to a network in the venue.
- the controller 52 feeds information regarding the BAR to a venue network system 68 ( FIG. 3 ) via a network communications line 70 .
- the system 68 then gives venue operating and service personnel an on-line and immediate indicator of the performance of the bill acceptor 24 . 2 of each gaming machine 10 enabling remedial action to be taken in an expedited manner when the BAR of any gaming machine in the network drops below the predetermined threshold.
- the system 68 could, for example, activate a visual or audible alarm (not shown) indicating the need for attention to a bill acceptor 24 . 2 of any gaming machine on the network.
- a discrete arrangement is provided for determining the bill acceptance rate of a bill acceptor 24 . 2 of a gaming machine 10 , whether networked or not. It will be appreciated that if the controller 52 has a too high rejection rate of bills, the revenue received by the venue in which the gaming machine 10 is installed could be adversely affected as players may not have coins to play the machine instead. Accordingly, it is important that, when a bill acceptor 24 . 2 of a gaming machine 10 has an unacceptable high rejection rate, remedial action can be taken urgently.
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Toxicology (AREA)
- Slot Machines And Peripheral Devices (AREA)
- Pinball Game Machines (AREA)
Abstract
A bill acceptor 24.2 for a gaming machine includes a receiving zone for receiving a tendered bill. A sensing device 48 is arranged at an input region of the receiving zone for sensing at least one characteristic of the bill A controller 52 is in communication with the sensing device 48 for receiving an output signal from the sensing device 48. An annunciator 58 is controlled by the controller 52 to be activated when a bill acceptance rate of the controller 52 drops below a predetermined threshold.
Description
- This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/030,783 which was filed on Feb. 18, 2011, which is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/020,484 which was filed on Dec. 21, 2001, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
- [Not Applicable]
- [Not Applicable]
- This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a bill acceptor for a gaming machine and to a method of operating a bill acceptor of a gaming machine.
- It is becoming more and more prevalent for gaming machines to accept “paper” money or bank notes from players wishing to play gaming machines. As a result, more and more gaming machines include bill acceptors for such bank notes.
- It is important that a bill acceptor be extremely accurately set to ensure that the insertion of false or counterfeit bank notes is kept to a minimum thereby minimising losses which the gaming machine operator may suffer.
- Because the bill acceptor is a sensitive item, it may have a tendency to have a high rejection rate. As a result, a gaming machine equipped with such a bill acceptor may not be frequented by players wishing to use bank notes due to the rejection of the bank notes by the bill acceptor.
- It is also desirable that, should one wish to alert a technician to the fact that a bill acceptor may be malfunctioning, it be done in a discrete manner so as not to disturb a player playing that gaming machine who may have been using another form of credit such as coins, tokens, cards, or the like.
- According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a bill acceptor for a gaming machine, the bill acceptor comprising:
- a receiving zone for receiving a bill;
- a sensing device at an input region of the receiving zone for sensing at least one characteristic of the bill;
- a controller in communication with the sensing device for receiving an output signal from the sensing device; and
- an annunciator controlled by the controller to be activated when a bill acceptance rate of the controller drops below a predetermined threshold.
- The term “bill” is to be understood in this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as a form of paper currency such as a bank note. Further, the term “bill acceptance rate” as it is used in this, specification is to be understood, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as the number of bills which are accepted in a batch of bills tendered to the gaming machine. It does not refer to the speed with which the controller accepts or rejects a tendered bill.
- The receiving zone may incorporate a platen on which the bill is received and a slot at an end of the platen into which the bill is to be inserted. The platen may be arranged in a midtrim of the machine.
- The sensing device may be arranged within the machine, inwardly of the slot. The sensing device may sense at least one of optical, magnetic and dimensional characteristics of the bill. In use, more than one of these characteristics may be sensed by the sensing device to reduce the prevalence of fraudulent or counterfeit bills.
- The receiving zone may include an attracting means for indicating to a patron where the bill is to be inserted into the slot. The attracting means may comprise an array of illuminating elements arranged in the platen of the receiving zone.
- In addition, the annunciator may also be arranged in the receiving zone.
- The controller may cause the array of illuminating elements to be illuminated in a predetermined, first pattern and the annunciator may be implemented in the form of an illumination of the illuminating elements in a second, different pattern. The illuminating elements may be, for example, light emitting diodes (LED's). The LED's may be arranged in two rows. The rows may converge towards the slot. The first pattern may comprise sequential energising of corresponding LED's in each row followed by sequential de-energising of the corresponding LED's in each row. This may then constitute the first pattern. Upon completion of the first pattern, all the LED's may be energised so that they are all simultaneously illuminated and this may constitute the second pattern being the implementation of the annunciator.
- Accordingly, the second pattern may be activated after completion of the first pattern when the bill acceptance rate has dropped below said predetermined threshold. This predetermined threshold may be set as desired by an operator of the gaming machine. For example, the threshold may be a bill acceptance rate of about 70% to 90% of tendered bills, preferably about 75% to 85% of tendered bills and, optimally, about 80% of tendered bills.
- The gaming machine may be connected to a network. When the controller of such a gaming machine is connected to the network, a network monitoring system may monitor the acceptance rate of bills by the controller and may activate an alarm means when the acceptance rate drops below the predetermined threshold. This gives venue operating and service personnel an on-line and immediate indicator of the performance of the bill acceptor of the gaming machine. The monitoring system may activate a visual or audible alarm indicating the need for attention to the bill acceptor.
- According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of operating a bill acceptor of a gaming machine, the method including the steps of:
- sensing at least one characteristic of a bill inserted into the bill acceptor;
- monitoring a bill acceptance rate by a controller; and
- activating an annunciator when the bill acceptance rate drops below a predetermined threshold.
- The method may include energising illuminating elements of the bill acceptor in a predetermined pattern and, when the bill acceptance rate drops below said threshold, energising the illuminating elements in a second, different pattern, said second pattern of illumination of the illuminating elements serving as the annunciator. The second pattern of illumination of the illuminating elements may follow completion of the first pattern.
- As indicated above, when the gaming machine is connected to a network, the method may include transmitting a signal on the network to which the gaming machine is connected to a network monitoring system to activate an alarm means when the bill acceptance rate drops below said predetermined threshold.
- The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a gaming machine; -
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the gaming machine; -
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a controller of a bill acceptor of the gaming machine; -
FIG. 4 shows a sequence of illumination of illuminating elements of the bill acceptor of the gaming machine; and -
FIG. 5 shows operation of an annunciator of the bill acceptor of the gaming machine. - In
FIG. 1 ,reference numeral 10 generally designates a gaming machine, including a game, in accordance with the invention. Themachine 10 includes aconsole 12 having avideo display unit 14 on which agame 16 is played, in use. Thegame 16 is a spinning reel game which simulates the rotation of a number of spinningreels 18. Amidtrim 20 of themachine 10 houses abank 22 of buttons for enabling a player to play thegame 16. Themidtrim 20 also houses acredit input mechanism 24 including a coin input chute 24.1 and a bill collector 24.2. Themechanism 24 may, in addition to the coin input chute 24.1 and the bill collector 24.2, include a credit card reader (not shown) or any other type of validation device. - The
machine 10 includes atop box 26 on whichartwork 28 is carried. Theartwork 28 includes paytables, details of bonus awards, etc. - A
coin tray 30 is mounted beneath theconsole 12 for cash payouts from themachine 10. - Referring to
FIG. 2 of the drawings, a control means or controlcircuit 32 is illustrated. A program which implements the game and user interface is run on aprocessor 34 of thecontrol circuit 32. Theprocessor 34 forms part of acontroller 36 which drives the screen of thevideo display unit 14 and which receives input signals fromsensors 38. Thesensors 38 include sensors associated with thebank 22 of buttons and touch sensors mounted in the screen. Thecontroller 36 also receives input pulses from themechanism 24 indicating that a player has provided sufficient credit to commence playing. - Finally, the
controller 36 drives apayout mechanism 40 which, for example, may be a coin hopper for feeding coins to thecoin tray 30 to make a pay out to a player when the player wishes to redeem his or her credit. - The bill acceptor 24.2 includes a
platen 42 leading to aninput slot 44. An illuminating means in the form of an array of light emitting diodes (LED's) 46 is arranged in theplaten 42 of the bill acceptor 24.2. - The bill acceptor 24.2 further includes a sensing device in the form of a sensor array 48 (
FIG. 3 ). Thesensor array 48 senses optical, magnetic and dimensional characteristics or properties of a bill tendered to the bill acceptor 24.2 of thegaming machine 10. Thesensor array 48 outputs signals online 50 to acontroller 52. Thecontroller 52 is a bill acceptor controller and communicates with thecontroller 34 of thegaming machine 10. - The
controller 52 includes a group ofcounters 54. A first counter of the group ofcounters 54 is incremented each time a bill is accepted by the bill acceptor 24.2. - Accordingly, when a bill is tendered to the bill acceptor 24.2 by being placed on the
platen 42 it is received in theslot 44 and is drawn into thesensor array 48 by atransport motor 56 under the action of thecontroller 52. The bill is then sensed by thesensor array 48 which determines whether or not its optical, magnetic and dimensional properties meet the required criteria. If the bill is accepted, thetransport motor 56 is again energised which feeds the bill to a receptacle (not shown) contained within theconsole 12 of thegaming machine 10. The first counter of the group ofcounters 54 is incremented by one. - Conversely, if the
sensor array 48 determines that the bill is unacceptable, thetransport motor 56 is operated in the reverse direction and the note is ejected from theslot 44 of the bill acceptor 24.2. A second counter of the group ofcounters 54 is incremented by one. - After each tender of a bill, the
controller 52 updates its calculation of the bill acceptance rate (BAR) according to the formula: -
BAR(%)[A/(A+R)].times.100%, - where A=value of first counter of the group of
counters 54; and R=value of second counter of the group ofcounters 54. - When the acceptance rate as determined by the
controller 52 is at or above the predetermined threshold, for example, a BAR of 80%, the array of LED's 46 of the bill acceptor 24.2 is energised in a predetermined, first pattern under the action of the controller controlling alighting system 58. - A typical pattern is as shown in
FIG. 4 of the drawings and is designated generally by thereference numeral 60. Thearray 46 comprises eight LED's 62 arranged in two convergingrows 64. Therows 64 converge towards theslot 44 of the bill acceptor 24.2. - Under the control of the
lighting system 58, in State 0, all of the LED's 62 remain de-energised. Thereafter, in a first state, thefirst LED 62 in each row is energised. By “first” is meant those LED's furthest from theslot 44. In the second state, the first LED's 62 remain energised and the second LED's 62 are also energised. Similarly, in the third and fourth states thethird LED 62 in eachrow 64 andfourth LED 62 in eachrow 64 are energised, respectively. InState 5, the first LED's 62 are de-energised while the remaining LED's 62 in each row remain energised. In the sixth state, thesecond LED 62 in eachrow 64 is de-energised and in the seventh state thethird LED 62 in each row is de-energised. - It will be appreciated that this happens reasonably quickly to create the impression of the LED's 62 being illuminated towards the
slot 44 to create the impression of something being fed towards theslot 44 to act as an attracting means to a patron wishing to insert a bill into the bill acceptor 24.2. - When the BAR is above the predetermined threshold, the
pattern 64 continues indefinitely. - However, when the BAR drops below the predetermined threshold, upon completion of the
pattern 60, a new pattern (as shown byreference numeral 66 inFIG. 5 of the drawings) is interposed betweenStates 7 and 0. In other words, once thelast LED 62 in eachrow 64 of thearray 46 has been energised as in the case ofState 7, all the LED's 62 in eachrow 64 are energised before they are all de-energised as is shown for State 0. Thisnew pattern 66 continues to be inter posed betweenState 7 and State 0 for as long as the BAR remains below the predetermined threshold. - With this arrangement, a technician can, by monitoring the
pattern 60, determine whether or not the BAR of thecontroller 52 is above the required threshold and, if not, is alerted by the annunciator as implemented by thepattern 66 to take the appropriate remedial action. - It is an advantage of the invention that the
pattern 66, which functions as the annunciator for the technician, is discrete and that a player playing thegaming machine 10 using other means of credit input, such as coins or a card, is not disturbed by the change in pattern on the bill acceptor 24.2. - The
gaming machine 10 may be connected to a network in the venue. In that case, thecontroller 52 feeds information regarding the BAR to a venue network system 68 (FIG. 3 ) via anetwork communications line 70. Thesystem 68 then gives venue operating and service personnel an on-line and immediate indicator of the performance of the bill acceptor 24.2 of eachgaming machine 10 enabling remedial action to be taken in an expedited manner when the BAR of any gaming machine in the network drops below the predetermined threshold. Thesystem 68 could, for example, activate a visual or audible alarm (not shown) indicating the need for attention to a bill acceptor 24.2 of any gaming machine on the network. - It is an advantage of the invention that a discrete arrangement is provided for determining the bill acceptance rate of a bill acceptor 24.2 of a
gaming machine 10, whether networked or not. It will be appreciated that if thecontroller 52 has a too high rejection rate of bills, the revenue received by the venue in which thegaming machine 10 is installed could be adversely affected as players may not have coins to play the machine instead. Accordingly, it is important that, when a bill acceptor 24.2 of agaming machine 10 has an unacceptable high rejection rate, remedial action can be taken urgently. - In addition, the manner in which a technician is alerted to a malfunctioning bill acceptor 24.2 takes place in a discrete manner using the invention so that patrons are not disturbed in their playing of the gaming machine.
Claims (14)
1. A bill acceptor for a gaming machine, the bill acceptor comprising a receiving zone for receiving a bill;
a sensing device at an input region of the receiving zone for sensing at least one characteristic of the bill;
a controller in communication with the sensing device for receiving an output signal from the sensing device; and
an annunciator controlled by the controller to be activated when a bill acceptance rate of the controller drops below a predetermined threshold.
2. The bill acceptor of claim 1 , in which the receiving zone incorporates a platen on which the bill is received and a slot at an end of the platen into which the bill is to be inserted.
3. The bill acceptor of claim 2 , in which the sensing device is arranged inwardly of the slot.
4. The bill acceptor of claim 1 , in which the sensing device senses at least one of optical, magnetic and dimensional characteristics of the bill.
5. The bill acceptor of claim 2 , in which the receiving zone includes an attracting means for indicating to a patron where the bill is to be inserted into the slot.
6. The bill acceptor of claim 5 , in which the attracting means comprises an array of illuminating elements arranged in the platen of the receiving zone.
7. The bill acceptor of claim 6 , in which the annunciator is arranged in the receiving zone.
8. The bill acceptor of claim 7 , in which the controller causes the array of illuminating elements to be illuminated in a predetermined, first pattern and the annunciator is implemented in the form of an illumination of the illuminating elements in a second, different pattern.
9. The bill acceptor of claim 8 , in which the second pattern is activated after completion of the first pattern when the bill acceptance rate has dropped below said predetermined threshold.
10. The bill acceptor of claim 1 , in which, when the controller is connected to a network, a network monitoring system monitors the acceptance rate of bills by the controller and activates an alarm means when the acceptance rate drop below the predetermined threshold.
11. A method of operating a bill acceptor of a gaming machine, the method including the steps of:
sensing at least one characteristic of a bill inserted into the bill acceptor;
monitoring a bill acceptance rate by a controller; and
activating an annunciator when the bill acceptance rate drops below a predetermined threshold.
12. The method of claim 11 , which includes energising illuminating elements of the bill acceptor in a predetermine pattern and, when the bill acceptance rate drops below said threshold, energising the illuminating elements in a second, different pattern, said second pattern of illumination of the illuminating elements serving as the annunciator.
13. The method of claim 12 , in which the second pattern of illumination of the illuminating elements follows completion of the first pattern.
14. The method of claim 11 , which includes transmitting a signal on a network to which the gaming machine is connected to a network monitoring system to activate an alarm means when the bill acceptance rate drops below said predetermined threshold.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/705,749 US20130173053A1 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2012-12-05 | Bill Acceptor For a Gaming Machine |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/020,484 US7677969B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2001-12-12 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US13/030,783 US8348751B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2011-02-18 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US13/705,749 US20130173053A1 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2012-12-05 | Bill Acceptor For a Gaming Machine |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/030,783 Continuation US8348751B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2011-02-18 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20130173053A1 true US20130173053A1 (en) | 2013-07-04 |
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US10/020,484 Expired - Lifetime US7677969B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2001-12-12 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US12/686,057 Abandoned US20100161109A1 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2010-01-12 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US13/030,783 Expired - Lifetime US8348751B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2011-02-18 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US13/705,749 Abandoned US20130173053A1 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2012-12-05 | Bill Acceptor For a Gaming Machine |
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US10/020,484 Expired - Lifetime US7677969B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2001-12-12 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US12/686,057 Abandoned US20100161109A1 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2010-01-12 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
US13/030,783 Expired - Lifetime US8348751B2 (en) | 2001-12-12 | 2011-02-18 | Bill acceptor for a gaming machine |
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US20060252518A1 (en) * | 2003-02-26 | 2006-11-09 | Walker Jay S | Method and apparatus for play of a game with negative outcomes |
US20040176157A1 (en) * | 2003-03-04 | 2004-09-09 | Walker Jay S. | Method and apparatus for early termination of a game |
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JP5017013B2 (en) * | 2007-08-08 | 2012-09-05 | 株式会社コナミデジタルエンタテインメント | Network game system, network game system control method and program |
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-
2001
- 2001-12-12 US US10/020,484 patent/US7677969B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2010
- 2010-01-12 US US12/686,057 patent/US20100161109A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2011
- 2011-02-18 US US13/030,783 patent/US8348751B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2012
- 2012-12-05 US US13/705,749 patent/US20130173053A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20100161109A1 (en) | 2010-06-24 |
US7677969B2 (en) | 2010-03-16 |
US8348751B2 (en) | 2013-01-08 |
US20110144796A1 (en) | 2011-06-16 |
US20030109302A1 (en) | 2003-06-12 |
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Legal Events
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |
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Owner name: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRAL Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:RIST, JAMES;REEL/FRAME:046110/0754 Effective date: 20011127 |