US3913922A - Position sensing device for a rotatable game reel - Google Patents

Position sensing device for a rotatable game reel Download PDF

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Publication number
US3913922A
US3913922A US375863A US37586373A US3913922A US 3913922 A US3913922 A US 3913922A US 375863 A US375863 A US 375863A US 37586373 A US37586373 A US 37586373A US 3913922 A US3913922 A US 3913922A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
reel
electrical
reels
pair
terminals
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US375863A
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English (en)
Inventor
Basil James Richards
Roger Anthony Adams
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
New Century Novelty Co Pty Ltd
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New Century Novelty Co Pty Ltd
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Application filed by New Century Novelty Co Pty Ltd filed Critical New Century Novelty Co Pty Ltd
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    • 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
    • G07F17/34—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for games, toys, sports, or amusements depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • A63F5/00—Roulette games
    • A63F5/04—Disc roulettes; Dial roulettes; Teetotums; Dice-tops

Definitions

  • FIG. 1 A first figure.
  • This invention relates to apparatus for deriving information relating to the rest position of a movable member which is capable of coming to rest in any one of a plurality of positions.
  • the rotatable reel of a fruit, poker or slot machine is a typical example of such a movable member with the said apparatus serving to sense the character displayed by the machine each time the reel becomes stationary.
  • So-called three-reel machines are invariably constructed whereby a perforated indexing plate is secured to and rotatable with each reel, and indexing fingers are arranged to be inserted through two or three of the perforations when in register.
  • the degree of insertion of the indexing fingers serves to control automatic payout equipment commensurate with the value of the bonus assigned to the particular winning combination at that time displayed by the machine.
  • this form of sensing becomes complicated and other means are usually employed.
  • these means include photo-optical apparatus and multi-track concentric electrical wiping apparatus from which a large number of electrical leads extend to electrical translating equipment. Therefore, the necessary cableform and general electrical wiring in machines incorporating three, four or more rotatable reels is complex and additionally increases maintenance difficulties.
  • sensing apparatus for signalling by an electrical connection to electrical translating equipment an indication of the rest position of a movable member capable of coming to rest in any one of a plurality of positions, said sensing apparatus comprising a terminal-carrying mounting element movable with the member, electrical components carried by said mounting element and secured to terminals thereon at least some of which components are of different values, and means contacting terminals on said mounting element when the movable member is at rest and connecting with said electrical connection to connect across an input to said translat-.
  • ing equipment at least one of said electrical components the value of which is representative of the rest position of said movable member.
  • FIG. 1 shows a three-reel slot machine in front elevation
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective of one of the display reel units incorporated in the machine of FIG. 1, and
  • FIG. 3 is a further exploded perspective of the display reel unit of FIG. 2 from a viewing position behind the mounting panel thereof.
  • the invention is applied to a multi-reel fruit, or poker, machine 4 each reel 5 of which is permitted in each operation to spin freely and ultimately to stop at any one of a number of rest positions in each of which a characteristic symbol 6 on the reel periphery 5A is revealed through a display window 7.
  • a duplication of at least some symbols 6 occurs around the reel periphery 5A and for automatic functioning of the machine apparatus must be provided to identify the displayed symbol 6 on the reel 5, i.e. the angular position of the reel 5, so that computation of the displayed combination simultaneously on all reels 5 may be made to instigate an automatic bonus payout if appropriate.
  • the identifying apparatus includes electrical translating equipment which receives by cableform 8A an input from sensing apparatus 9 whereby it is automatically conditioned to provide the required identification.
  • the translating apparatus 8 may take any suitable form which will compare, or otherwise respond to, the value of an electrical component connected to its input to'provide a signal indicative of the displayed symbol 6.
  • the sensing apparatus 9 consists of a mounting disc 10 of electrically insulating material provided with screws 11 for fixture to a side of its respective reel 5, for rotation therewith, on which a concentric circle of electrical terminals 12, each provided withcontact faces 13, is mounted.
  • the said contact faces 13 are presented on a face 10A of the disc 10 remote from the associated reel 5.
  • a continuous concentric conductor to form a common electrical circuit may be provided with a contacting face on said remote face 10A of the disc and be spaced from the terminals 12. It is preferred, however, that instead of the continuous conductor another circle 14 of contacts 14A be provided each paired with a corresponding one of the terminal contacts 13.
  • Individual electrical components 15 are connected between the common circuit of contacts 14A are respective ones of i the terminals 12.
  • these components 15 are resistors but they may be any other electrical component or combination of components.
  • the symbols 6 on the periphery of the reel 5 are identified by the value of the electrical component or components 15 between each respepctive terminal 12 and the common circuit of contacts 14A.
  • a pair of spring-loaded contacting wiper arms 16 at a stationary position are provided each for engagement with either the common circuit conductors 14A or the circle of terminals contacts 13. These wipers 16 need not continually wipe their respective contacting surfaces during operation of the machine 4, but may be displaced so as to make contact when the associated reel 5 on the machine 4 has come to rest.
  • the position of the wipers 16 with respect to the terminal contact 13 and 14A is so arranged that the value of the component or components 15 effectively connected across the wipers 16 in any rest position of the reel 5 will cause the translating equipment 8 connected to the wipers 16 to respond for identification of the symbol 6 displayed by the machine 4 in that rest position.
  • the reels 5 of the machine 4 of FIG. 1 may be of a modular form. That is, each reel 5 is mounted on an individual mounting panel 22 and driven by spring bolt 23 from an individual electric motor 24, the power for which is connected via the connector plug 21 through a pair of leads 25.
  • a solenoid 26 is also wired to the connector plug 21 and a pivoted bellcrank lever 27 rotatable at one end 28 by the plunger of the solenoid 26 has an abutment 29 at its opposite end normally urged by a bias spring 30 into engagement with notches 31 in the periphery of the mounting disc 9 to act as a conventional brake on the reel 5.
  • Energization of the solenoid 26 disengages the brake.
  • a microswitch 32 operable by the abutment 29 on the bellcrank 27 when the brake is applied is also wired to the connector plug 21.
  • the assembled components and the mounting panel 22 form a dislay reel unit 33 which may be slid into position in the machine 4. Due to the simplicity of the wiring from the sensing apparatus 9 an 8-pin connector plug 21 will suffice. Whether a plug-in reel unit 33 is emloyed or alternately a conventiona multi-reel spindle assembly, the electrical wiring and cableforms are quite simple. It will be noted from the wiring on the face 35 of, the mounting disc 9 that a single resistor, or other electrical component or circuit, is provided for each different display symbol 6 and all repeated positions of that symbol 6 correspond to contacts 13 on the mounting disc 9 which are wired in common by straps 34 to the appropriate resistor.
  • the electrical components may be replaced by a rheostat provided with a plurality of tappings each being connected to a respective terminal 12 while one part of the rheostat is connected to the common circuit contacts 14A.
  • a single wiper 16 will be required, i.e. that associated with the terminal contacts 13, if the common circuit is provided by other means such as by grounding one side of the electrical components 15 to the shaft 36 upon which the reel 5 rotates.
  • a rotatable reel gaming machine including a plurality of reels each carrying for individual display on its periphery a series of symbols some of which are repeated in the series, electrical translating equipment for said reels and a pair of electrical leads connecting each said reel to respective inputs of said translating equipment, sensing apparatus breach of said reels comprising an electrically insulating index disc fixed to said reel, pairs of electrical terminals, each of said pairs being disposed in different ones of two concentric circles of terminals on said index disc, electrical resistors on said index disc and connected between respective pairs of said terminals whereby each different symbol on said reel is assigned a different value of electrical resistance, means for indexing each reel, and a pair of contactors for each of said reels with each contactor of a pair connected with a respective one of said leads of said pairs of electrical leads and with said pair of contactors in contact with a pair of said electrical terminals when the respective one of said reels is indexed by said indexing means so as to connect to said electrical translating equipment a resistance value indicative of the symbol displayed

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Length, Angles, Or The Like Using Electric Or Magnetic Means (AREA)
  • Slot Machines And Peripheral Devices (AREA)
US375863A 1972-07-05 1973-07-02 Position sensing device for a rotatable game reel Expired - Lifetime US3913922A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AUPA957972 1972-07-05
DE19732340757 DE2340757A1 (de) 1972-07-05 1973-08-11 Lage-fuehlvorrichtung fuer ein bewegliches bauteil
BE134545A BE803576A (fr) 1972-07-05 1973-08-14 Appareil de detection destine a des machines a jouer
FR7329902A FR2241118B1 (enrdf_load_html_response) 1972-07-05 1973-08-16

Publications (1)

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US3913922A true US3913922A (en) 1975-10-21

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ID=27424091

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US375863A Expired - Lifetime US3913922A (en) 1972-07-05 1973-07-02 Position sensing device for a rotatable game reel

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US (1) US3913922A (enrdf_load_html_response)
BE (1) BE803576A (enrdf_load_html_response)
DE (1) DE2340757A1 (enrdf_load_html_response)
FR (1) FR2241118B1 (enrdf_load_html_response)
GB (1) GB1423415A (enrdf_load_html_response)

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4099722A (en) * 1975-07-30 1978-07-11 Centronics Data Computer Corp. Electronic slot machine
US4522399A (en) * 1982-08-02 1985-06-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Universal Device for generating impact sound for slot machine
US4838552A (en) * 1982-10-15 1989-06-13 Sigma Enterprises, Incorporated Multiline slot machine
US4928964A (en) * 1987-11-13 1990-05-29 Sigma Incorporated Reel driving device for use in the slot machine
US5102136A (en) * 1991-02-04 1992-04-07 Bally Manufacturing Corporation Slot machine reel mounting assembly
USRE34244E (en) * 1982-10-15 1993-05-11 Sigma Enterprises, Inc. Multiline slot machine
US5423540A (en) * 1994-05-27 1995-06-13 Bally Gaming International, Inc. Adjustable slot machine reel mounting assembly
US5938529A (en) * 1997-03-17 1999-08-17 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine having stepper motor monitoring system
US5988638A (en) * 1997-06-13 1999-11-23 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine utilizing random number generator for selecting game result
US6186503B1 (en) * 1998-02-03 2001-02-13 William B. Faith Arcade-type stamp dispensing machine
US20030220134A1 (en) * 2002-05-23 2003-11-27 Walker Jay S. Apparatus having movable display and methods of operating same
US20050049028A1 (en) * 2003-08-27 2005-03-03 Gornez Benjamin T. Gaming machine with extendable graphical displays
US20050285337A1 (en) * 2004-06-24 2005-12-29 Wms Gaming Inc. Dynamic generation of a profile for spinning reel gaming machines
US8277304B1 (en) 2004-09-02 2012-10-02 Wms Gaming Inc. Aligning a gaming machine reel to a home position
US11145164B2 (en) * 2013-07-23 2021-10-12 Gemini Digital Development Gaming machine having peripheral reels, a selectively transparent front display, and motor driven reels behind the front display

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0051427A1 (en) * 1980-10-30 1982-05-12 Bally Manufacturing Corporation Ratio encoder for slot machine reels

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2302333A (en) * 1941-09-12 1942-11-17 Linke Elvin Electric dice game
US2689082A (en) * 1954-09-14 Kolisch

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2689082A (en) * 1954-09-14 Kolisch
US2302333A (en) * 1941-09-12 1942-11-17 Linke Elvin Electric dice game

Cited By (21)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4099722A (en) * 1975-07-30 1978-07-11 Centronics Data Computer Corp. Electronic slot machine
US4522399A (en) * 1982-08-02 1985-06-11 Kabushiki Kaisha Universal Device for generating impact sound for slot machine
US4838552A (en) * 1982-10-15 1989-06-13 Sigma Enterprises, Incorporated Multiline slot machine
USRE34244E (en) * 1982-10-15 1993-05-11 Sigma Enterprises, Inc. Multiline slot machine
US4928964A (en) * 1987-11-13 1990-05-29 Sigma Incorporated Reel driving device for use in the slot machine
US5102136A (en) * 1991-02-04 1992-04-07 Bally Manufacturing Corporation Slot machine reel mounting assembly
US5423540A (en) * 1994-05-27 1995-06-13 Bally Gaming International, Inc. Adjustable slot machine reel mounting assembly
US5938529A (en) * 1997-03-17 1999-08-17 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine having stepper motor monitoring system
US5988638A (en) * 1997-06-13 1999-11-23 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine utilizing random number generator for selecting game result
US6003867A (en) * 1997-06-13 1999-12-21 Unislot, Inc. Reel type slot machine utilizing time-based random game result selection means
US6186503B1 (en) * 1998-02-03 2001-02-13 William B. Faith Arcade-type stamp dispensing machine
US20030220134A1 (en) * 2002-05-23 2003-11-27 Walker Jay S. Apparatus having movable display and methods of operating same
US7887408B2 (en) * 2002-05-23 2011-02-15 Igt Apparatus having movable display and methods of operating same
US20050049028A1 (en) * 2003-08-27 2005-03-03 Gornez Benjamin T. Gaming machine with extendable graphical displays
GB2406953A (en) * 2003-08-27 2005-04-13 Wms Gaming Inc Gaming machine with extendable display
US20050285337A1 (en) * 2004-06-24 2005-12-29 Wms Gaming Inc. Dynamic generation of a profile for spinning reel gaming machines
US7360761B2 (en) * 2004-06-24 2008-04-22 Wms Gaming Inc. Dynamic generation of a profile for spinning reel gaming machines
US20080146318A1 (en) * 2004-06-24 2008-06-19 Wms Gaming Inc. Dynamic generation of a profile for a spinning reel of a gaming system
US8038525B2 (en) 2004-06-24 2011-10-18 Wms Gaming Inc. Dynamic generation of a profile for a spinning reel of a gaming system
US8277304B1 (en) 2004-09-02 2012-10-02 Wms Gaming Inc. Aligning a gaming machine reel to a home position
US11145164B2 (en) * 2013-07-23 2021-10-12 Gemini Digital Development Gaming machine having peripheral reels, a selectively transparent front display, and motor driven reels behind the front display

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE803576A (fr) 1973-12-03
GB1423415A (en) 1976-02-04
FR2241118B1 (enrdf_load_html_response) 1977-05-27
FR2241118A1 (enrdf_load_html_response) 1975-03-14
DE2340757A1 (de) 1975-02-27

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