U.S. patent number RE35,182 [Application Number 08/328,488] was granted by the patent office on 1996-03-19 for gaming and amusement machines and reels for them.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Bell-Fruit Manufacturing Company Limited. Invention is credited to Terence Howard.
United States Patent |
RE35,182 |
Howard |
March 19, 1996 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Gaming and amusement machines and reels for them
Abstract
A reel for a gaming or amusement machine, of the type commonly
known as a fruit machine, has a reel strip which has symbols at
least partially within sunken regions of the .[.reel
strip.]..Iadd.reel-strip.Iaddend.. The symbols may be formed in
relief in the sunken regions but do not project above a frame which
surrounds the sunken regions. The surface of the frame may be
arcuate, such that the reel is cylindrical in shape, or flat, such
that the reel is polygonal.
Inventors: |
Howard; Terence (Nottingham,
GB2) |
Assignee: |
Bell-Fruit Manufacturing Company
Limited (Nottingham, GB2)
|
Family
ID: |
10661554 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/328,488 |
Filed: |
October 25, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
833860 |
Feb 11, 1992 |
05211399 |
May 18, 1993 |
|
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 12, 1989 [GB] |
|
|
8918448 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/143R; 40/472;
40/506; 40/552 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F
17/3211 (20130101); G07F 17/3213 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G07F
17/34 (20060101); G07F 17/32 (20060101); G09F
011/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/143R,138A
;40/472,552,506 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0142370 |
|
May 1985 |
|
EP |
|
0317123 |
|
May 1989 |
|
EP |
|
2921159 |
|
Apr 1980 |
|
DE |
|
3-21278 |
|
Jan 1991 |
|
JP |
|
412289 |
|
Jun 1934 |
|
GB |
|
1233081 |
|
May 1971 |
|
GB |
|
1488658 |
|
Oct 1977 |
|
GB |
|
2092795 |
|
Aug 1982 |
|
GB |
|
2137514 |
|
Oct 1984 |
|
GB |
|
2165074 |
|
Apr 1986 |
|
GB |
|
2165387 |
|
Apr 1986 |
|
GB |
|
2183883 |
|
Jun 1987 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Layno; Benjamin H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Christensen O'Connor Johnson &
Kindness
Claims
I claim:
1. A reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a
first surface region and at least one sunken region, said at least
one sunken region being provided below the level of said first
surface region and said at least one sunken region being provided
with at least one symbol or fruit, wherein said at least one symbol
is formed in relief and said at least one sunken region and said at
least one symbol are integrally formed.
2. A reel strip according to claim 1, wherein said first surface
region extends at least partially around said at least one sunken
region.
3. A reel strip according to claim 1, wherein said at least one
symbol is formed in relief at said at least one sunken region.
4. A reel strip according to claim 1, wherein said at least one
symbol is formed in relief and projects from said at least one
sunken region to a height not substantially greater than that of
said first surface region.
5. A reel strip according to claim 1, wherein said first surface
region comprises a frame surface extending around said at least one
sunken region.
6. A reel strip according to claim 1, wherein said at least one
sunken region has a three-dimensional profiled symbol.
7. A reel strip according to claim 1, wherein said reel strip is
comprised of plastics material.
8. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine comprising support
means supporting a reel strip, wherein the reel strip is in
accordance with claim 1.
9. A gaming or amusement machine which incorporates a reel strip in
accordance with claim 1.
10. A reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a
first surface region and at least one sunken region, said at least
one sunken region being provided below the level of said first
surface region, said reel strip having an inner surface and an
outer surface wherein said inner surface and said outer surface
both have variable relief.
11. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine comprising support
means supporting a reel strip, wherein the reel strip is in
accordance with claim 10.
12. A gaming or amusement machine which incorporates a reel strip
in accordance with claim 10.
13. A reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a
first surface region and at least one sunken region, said at least
one sunken region being provided below the level of said first
surface region, one or more of said at least one sunken region
being provided with a symbol or fruit, wherein said reel strip is
formed from a plurality of segments being interconnected by lines
of interconnection, and said segments being permitted to flex along
said lines of interconnection.
14. A reel strip according to claim 13, wherein each segment has a
portion of said first surface region and a sunken region.
15. A reel strip according to claim 13, wherein each of said
segments has a frame surface, said frame surface extending
substantially around said at least one sunken region, said frame
surfaces being parts of cylindrical arcs with the axes of curvature
being at right angles to the length of said reel strip so that when
said reel strip is curved around support means to form a reel said
frame surfaces lie on a common cylindrical surface.
16. A reel strip according to claim 15, wherein said frame surface
is flat instead of being pan of a cylindrical surface, said reel
strip forming a polygon when it is curved around support means to
form a reel.
17. A reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine comprising an
outer surface and an inner surface, said outer surface having a
first surface region and a region which is sunken relative to said
first surface region, said sunken region being provided with a
symbol or fruit, wherein said first surface region extends around
the periphery of said sunken region.
18. A reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine having an outer
surface and an inner surface, said outer surface having a first
surface region and a region which is sunken relative to said first
surface region, said sunken region being provided with a symbol or
fruit, wherein said inner surface has a sunken region and a raised
region, said sunken region on said inner surface corresponding with
said first surface region on said outer surface and said raised
region on said inner surface corresponding with said sunken region
on said outer surface such that said reel strip has a substantially
constant thickness throughout.
19. A reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a
raised region and a plurality of lower, sunken regions, each of
said plurality of sunken regions being provided with a symbol or
fruit and being surrounded and framed by respective portions of
said raised region.
20. A reel strip according to claim 19, wherein each of said sunken
regions is of substantially the same shape.
21. A gaming or amusement machine which has a reel strip in
accordance with claim 19.
Description
.Iadd.This application is a continuation of prior copending
international PCT Application No. PCT/GB/01256, filed on Aug. 10,
1990, the benefit of the filing date which is hereby claimed under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.120. .Iaddend.
This invention relates to gaming and amusement machines and in
particular to those commonly known as fruit machines. In such
machines a number of reels, usually three or four, carrying symbols
on their peripheries are spun and then stopped at random. If they
come to a halt with any one of a number of selected combinations of
symbols on a so-called `win line`, an award is made or other
equivalent benefit is obtained. Such a machine will hereinafter be
referred to as of the kind set forth.
Traditionally these reels have been mechanical, rotating side by
side on a common axis and with the symbols carried on their
peripheral cylindrical surfaces. This is almost universal although
in certain countries, e.g. Germany, the reels are sometimes in the
form of flat discs with the symbols arranged in a ring on one face.
Even an arrangement involving each reel being in the form of a
frustum of a cone, with the peripheries lying in a common conical
surface, is known.
Attempts have been made to get away from the simple printed
representation of the symbols, usually fruit such as plums,
cherries, oranges and so on, and it has been proposed to project
the symbols optically in turn onto a flat translucent screen, the
so-called Panascope system. We have ourselves proposed to use a
video screen on which an electrically generated image of the
rotating reels is displayed. However these alternatives lack the
contrast and brightness of a colour-printed two-dimensional picture
of the symbol and so there has lately been a reversion to the
mechanical reels with the symbols on their peripheries.
It has been proposed, in GB 2 183 883 A, to provide gaming and
amusement machines with symbols formed in relief, i.e. in
three-dimensions, on the periphery of the reel so that they stand
out from the surface of the reel.
The general outline of the use of such symbols in relief is
described in GB 2 183 833 A, and the functional advantages of the
such use is intimated. The ability, for example, to .[.recognise.].
.Iadd.recognize .Iaddend.the symbols rapidly is enhanced, which
improves the user's perception of the game, and the recognition in
particular of symbols further round the periphery of the reel (away
from the winline) allows the machine to be constructed so that
certain game sub-features (such as nudging, for example) are
possible under conditions in which, with conventional flat-printed
reel strip symbols, they would not otherwise be practicable.
Suggested methods of forming symbols in relief, which
conventionally would be fruit symbols but could be in other forms
as required by the game, have, up to now, been based upon the
symbol concerned being raised from the surface of a flat reel-strip
base material, such that the material forming the reel-strip at any
point on the embossed or raised area is situated at a greater
radius than that of the base material. There is a severe
disadvantage of this approach which has become apparent in
practice, however, in that the base material must conform to the
surface of the reel drum in order to be mounted accurately to it;
the reel drum, being a rotated component, needs to be symmetrical
(i.e. cylindrical), and hence the surface onto which the reel-strip
base material is fitted is also cylindrical. In current art, it is
known that the reel drum does not need to be a complete surface,
and that large parts of its area can be beneficially removed to
conserve weight (and hence reduce inertia) and material content;
however, the reel-strip material itself still has to conform to the
cylindrical outline of that part of the reel drum remaining,
particularly along the outside rim of the drum which is the main
reel-strip supporting element. The disadvantage of the relief or
embossing method as described above is that the reel-strip material
deforms under the process for forming the symbols in relief, and
when wrapped around the reel drum tends to form a series of
inaccurate straight edges at parts of the strip containing the
symbols in relief, and curves of sharper than required radius at
points where there are no such symbols in relief. The mount to
which such distortion occurs is not easily predictable and depends
to a certain extent on the shape of the particular symbol. This
inaccuracy makes the reel-strip difficult to fit, and also the lack
of precise control in the exact shape of the edges of the
reel-strip make the risk of fouling on the reel drum-supporting
components likely.
Also, conventional reel drums are usually rotated by an
electrically driven motor, for instance a stepper motor, and in
order to lessen the dynamic load on the motor driving the rotating
parts of the reel assembly, it is usual to remove any unnecessary
material from the drum, whilst still retaining a rim to provide
circumferential attachment for the reel-strip; the conventional
reel-strip not being of any significant structural strength.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a
reel strip for a gaming or amusement machine having a first surface
adjacent a sunken region provided below the level of the first
surface, and a symbol, or fruit, displayed at the sunken
region.
The sunken region gives the strip a three-dimensional profile and
increases its strength. There may be separate sunken regions for
each symbol or fruit, the sunken regions drawing the attention of
the user to the fruit.
Preferably there are a plurality of sunken regions.
The first surface preferably extends at least partially around
.[.the or.]. each sunken region.
The symbols may be two-dimensional, e.g. by being printed onto the
material of the strip within the surrounding regions, but
preferably they are formed in relief so that they stand out from
the sunken surrounding regions. A mixture of 2-D and 3-D symbols
may be provided.
When the symbols are formed in relief, preferably they are formed
to a maximum height so that the height of the outermost part of
each symbol above its sunken surrounding region does not exceed the
height of the raised sections of the reel-strip.
The raised sections of the reel-strip and the sunken regions
surrounding the symbols thus form a "frame" for each symbol which
imparts to the reel-strip an accurately-defined shape, irrespective
of the profile of and degree of relief imparted to the fruit symbol
itself. The reel-strip itself is thereby an accurately reproducible
component and its fitting to the periphery of the reel drum is
greatly eased, as are any potential problems of fouling with other
parts of the assembly.
The frame may be shaped such that the reel has an overall
cylindrical shape. However, in certain reel arrangements, it may be
advantageous for the reel to be substantially polygonal. In this
case, the frames are arranged to be flat with bends being formed
between adjacent frames.
The reel in accordance with the invention may comprise a
conventional rotatable reel drum element with the novel form of
reel-strip attached around its outer periphery.
Alternatively, instead of a conventional reel drum element the
support element for the reel-strip may be of skeletal form, for
example comprising two circular members of the same diameter
connected at regular circumferentially spaced intervals by
transverse cross-members, with radial spokes extending from the
cross-members to the centre of the reel. In an alternative version
there need be only one circular member having projecting support
members.
In this type of reel assembly it is a relatively simple matter to
attach the reel strip to the support element with the sunken
regions surrounding the symbols being positively and accurately
located in the spaces between the transverse cross-members. It is
difficult to achieve such accurate location with a flat reel-strip
or with a reel-strip with embossed symbols standing out from the
outer surface of the strip.
Furthermore, the reel-strip with its configuration of raised
sections and sunken regions surrounding the symbols possesses
sufficient structural properties to render the use of the reel drum
or other support element unnecessary. A reel-strip which has 3-D
profiled symbols in its sunken regions is particularly strong. The
advantage of this is that it reduces the cost of the reel assembly,
reduces the number of individual parts, reduces use of material and
also reduces the need for expensive investment in mould tooling, as
the tooling costs for the relief forming reel-strips are
substantially less, if for example vacuum forming techniques are
used, than those of an injection-moulding tool for an entire reel
drum. In this case the drive part of the reel mechanism assembly
may consist of a drive spindle fitted with a "spider" arrangement,
to the ends of the arms of which would be affixed a reel-strip in
accordance with the first aspect of the invention. The cylindrical
form of the reel would be defined by the reel-strip itself, which
although still consisting of thin plastic material would have
structural integrity imparted to it by its form.
The reel-strip as described above in accordance with the first
aspect of the invention thus gives benefits in the fitting of the
reel-strip to the reel drum or other reel-strip support element, in
the reduction of the possibility of fouling on other components
during rotation in the positive location of its position around the
periphery, and in the opportunity to save material in the reel
assembly. This is particularly so of reel-strips having profiled
fruit.
A possible production method for such reel-strips may be based on
conventional vacuum-forming equipment, using raised relief moulds
for the symbol "frames" and for the symbols themselves. In current
practice, the variety of fruit or other symbols in common use is
fairly restricted, to between possibly ten and twenty over all in
machines in production at any one time. In the fabrication of
moulds to form such reel-strips, therefore, a technique in which
the symbol "frames" are standard to all machines and the different
arrangements of fruit or other symbols required for an individual
machine could be made up by the use of mould inserts in the
relevant positions could be used.
According to a second aspect the invention comprises a reel having
a reel-strip in accordance with the first aspect of the
invention.
According to third and fourth aspects the invention comprises a
gaming or amusement machine having a reel-strip in accordance with
the first aspect of the invention or a reel in accordance with the
second aspect of the invention.
Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is a sketch view showing in profile a known type of
reel-strip attached to a reel drum of a fruit machine;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a curved reel-strip in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the reel-strip of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the strip of FIGS. 2 and 3 in
flat form;
FIG. 5 is a front view of a support element for the reel-strip of
FIGS. 2 to 4;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a reel-strip in accordance with
the invention mounted on the support element of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 shows another reel-strip in accordance with the invention in
a flat configuration; and
FIG. 8 shows the reel-strip of FIG. 7 in its configuration of
use.
FIG. 1 shows a known type of reel-strip 1 having embossed symbols 2
formed in relief which stand out from the surface of the strip. The
strip 1 is attached to the outer periphery of a conventional reel
drum 3. The strip with embossed symbols 2 of this form, however,
suffers from the disadvantage that the reel-strip material deforms
under the embossing process and consequently the reel-strip does
not fit very well onto the reel drum 3 and there is a risk of
fouling during rotation.
The reel-strip shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 may be formed from thin
plastics sheet material and has raised sections 4 and a plurality
of symbols 5 formed in relief surrounded by sunken surrounding
regions 6. As shown in FIG. 4 the reel-strip may initially be made
in flat form before it takes up its curved position in use as part
of a fruit machine reel. In its flat form, the borders 7 of the
reel-strip may bulge slightly above the raised sections 4 but in
its curved form (FIG. 2) they will normally have the same radius
from the centre of the reel as the raised sections 4 between the
symbols 5 and their surrounding sunken regions 6.
In an alternative arrangement, the borders 7 of the reel strip may
be formed such that they are flat when the reel strip is curved
around a drum reel. In this case, bends, or lines of weakness are
formed at the boundaries between adjacent symbol frames 5 to ensure
that the reel is very nearly polygonal and does not bulge outwards
near the centre of a frame.
It will be appreciated that the symbols 5 have a maximum height
above their surrounding regions 6 such that when the strip forms at
least part of a reel assembly, the radius of the outermost surface
of the fruit symbols 5 does not exceed the rotational radius of the
front of the reel constituted by the raised sections 4 and the
borders 7 of the strip.
Another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention is shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 shows a moulded plastics reel-strip 20 having
adjacent segments 21, 22, 23 and 24 in a flat configuration. The
strip 20 is a vacuum moulded thin plastics component, each segment
comprises a part-cylindrical frame surface 25, a recess 26, a base
surface 27 of the recess, side surfaces 28 of the recess, a relief
symbol 29 standing proud of the base surface 27, and two opposed
spaced side walls 30. A line of flexing, or weakness 31 is provided
between the adjacent frame surfaces 25 of adjacent segments.
The symbols 29 project above the respective base surfaces 27 to an
extent which is not more than the depth of the recess, thus staying
at or below the level of the respective frame surfaces 25. The
symbols 29 may have a substantially flat upper surface, such as the
pound symbol of segment 22, or a dimpled or profiled surface such
as the orange of segment 23. A number may be moulded with the
symbol (see segment 24).
The side walls 30 are segments of a circle and when the strip 20 is
in use (see FIG. 8) the frame surfaces 25 lie in a common cylinder,
with the side walls 25 being segments of a first or a second circle
(depending upon which side of the segments the walls are
provided).
The reel-strips of FIGS. 2 to 4 and 7 and 8 can be mounted readily
on a support element of skeletal form having ring members 8
connected at regular intervals by transverse cross-members 9 (FIGS.
5 and 6). In this arrangement the sunken surrounding regions 6
which "frame" the symbols 5 can be positively located between the
cross-members 9, thus locating accurately the position of the
symbols on the support element. The support element need have only
one ring provided with transverse support members, and/or could
comprise a dished plate.
The reel-strips of FIGS. 2 to 4 and 7 and 8 can also be mounted by
means of one, or two spaced, ring members provided at an edge of
the strip, the ring members defining a channel in which the edge
(or edges) of the strip is received. The edge of the strip may have
a flange provided for location in such a channel; for example the
strip 20 of FIGS. 7 and 8 could have a flange projecting outwards
at right angles to the side walls 30.
* * * * *