Entertainment machines

Abstract

 A player-operable entertainment machine has a display panel (2) with a window (19) through which symbols on a rotatable motor-driven disk (20) can be seen. The disk (20) has a circumferential display face (21) on which the symbols are marked and a central aperture (24) which provides a useable space for location of e.g. a lamp or display or press button. The disk (20) may be a one-piece 'top-hat' construction with a central well defining the aperture (24).

Description

[0001] This invention relates to display devices for player-operable entertainment machines, particularly for coin-operated amusement with prizes (AWP) machines, such as "fruit" or "poker" machines. As used herein the term coin is intended also to cover tokens, charge or credit cards or any other means of supplying credit or monetary value.

[0002] Fruit machines commonly have floor-standing housings with printed glass panels at the front on which symbols and other information can be displayed, typically by back illumination of translucent areas and also by exposure of display devices comprising rotatable reels or disks through windows defined by transparent regions.

[0003] Where disks are used as display devices these are conventionally flat circular structures positioned with one face closely behind the glass panel and mounted at the opposite face on a driving motor.

[0004] However, in so far as the usable display area of the disk is confined in practice to an annular peripheral region, the central region covers an area of the glass panel which is thereby wasted space and cannot readily be used for example for a back illumination lamp or other device.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable display disk with which wasted space can be minimised.

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention therefore there is provided a display device for an entertainment machine having a display panel, said device comprising a disk adapted to be mounted on a motor to be rotatably driven thereby with a display face of the disk located closely behind the display panel, characterised in that the disk has a circumferential display part bounding a central aperture.

[0007] With this arrangement, the central aperture provides usable space: the central region of the display disk need not give rise to wasted space and optimum use can be made of the display panel of the machine.

[0008] The disk aperture may be defined by a cut-out or recessed region. Preferably it is a recessed region or well having a support structure displaced inwardly from the circumferential display part. Preferably also the aperture is circular and is axially centred relative to the disk.

[0009] This displaced support structure may comprise a wall, or an openwork structure such as struts or the like. This structure may extend radially and may be linked to the circumferential part by an axially extending structure of a continuous or openwork form. In a particularly preferred embodiment the circumferential part, the displaced support structure and the axially extending link structure form a 'top hat' configuration.

[0010] The displaced support structure is preferably provided with mounting means adapted for drivable attachment to the motor, preferably axially centred relative to the disk.

[0011] The circumferential part may be of any suitable continuous or discontinuous form. Preferably however it is an annular part of the disk having a substantially continuous planar outer surface defining the said display face.

[0012] Preferably also the circumferential part extends radially.

[0013] The circumferential part and the support structure may be formed as an integral one-piece body, particularly a thin-walled moulded plastics body, formed from polycarbonate or any other suitable material.

[0014] The display face of the disk may be marked with symbols or otherwise provided with display matter thereon directly or via an attached band or the like.

[0015] The central aperture of the display device of the invention may contain any suitable further display or other device, such as a back-illumination lamp or LED or LCD or other alphanumeric display device, or a press button or the like.

[0016] The display device of the invention may be incorporated in an entertainment machine of the fruit machine kind whereby the display device may be used alone, or in combination with other like or different devices as the main and/or as a supplementary display device of the machine.

[0017] Thus, a fruit machine commonly has a main display device for displaying a selected combination of symbols at a win zone, and also one or more supplementary display devices operable to select one or more symbols used in a supplementary feature game, or in a supplementary play feature of the machine, and the display device of the invention may be used as any one or more of these symbol-type display devices.

[0018] In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided a player operable entertainment machine having a housing with at least one front display panel and at least one display device operable to display at least one selected symbol at a display zone on the display panel, wherein the display device comprises a disk mounted on a motor to be rotatably driven thereby, the disk having a display face located closely behind the display panel with symbols marked thereon characterised in that the disk has a circumferential display part providing said display face which bounds a central aperture.

[0019] The machine is preferably a coin-operated AWP fruit machine.

[0020] The display device of the second aspect of the invention may have any or all of the features of the first aspect of the invention.

[0021] The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1

is a diagrammatic perspective view of one form of a fruit machine incorporating a display device according to the invention;

Figure 2

is a diagrammatic block circuit diagram of the machine of Figure 1; and

Figure 3

is a diagrammatic sectional view of the display device.

[0022] Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a fruit machine having a floor-standing box shaped housing 1 having a front wall which includes upper and lower glass panels 2, 3, a number of operating buttons 5, 6, 6a, a coin slot 7 and a payout opening 8.

[0023] Within the housing 1 there are three axially aligned reels 9 having say 20 symbols at regularly spaced positions around their peripheries. The reels 9 are axially rotatable and are drivably connected to respective stepper motors 10. The reels 9 are arranged behind a window 11 defined by a printed region of the lower glass panel 3. Each reel 9 can be arrested by the respective stepper motors 10 in any of 20 stopping positions in which one symbol is in precise registration with a horizontal win line in the centre of the window 11 and two further symbols are visible above and below the win line.

[0024] The stepper motors 10 are connected to microprocessor-based control unit 12. This unit is also connected to a coin-mechanism 13, a pay-out mechanism 14 and the buttons 5, 6, 6a.

[0025] In use, the player inserts coins into the coin mechanism 13 through the slot 7 sufficient to generate credit for one or more games. The main game commences after a start button 5 has been pressed and the reels 9 spin and then come to rest so as to select a combination of symbols displayed on the win line. The displayed symbol combination is assessed by the control unit 12 and a win indication is given in the event that the combination is of a predetermined winning nature.

[0026] The upper panel 2 is a transparent glass panel and within this there is a printed display region 15, which can be back-illuminated with a bank of lamps 16, and which provides a conventional supplementary feature game.

[0027] As shown, this feature game comprises a wraparound trail 17 comprising a series of printed sections 17a marked with decoration, information and symbols.

[0028] In the centre of the trail there is a printed window behind which a disk 20 of an auxiliary feature display device is rotatable. The disk 20 has around its periphery the numbers 1 to 12 corresponding to the values which can be selected with two dice. The disk 20 can be rotated with a stepper motor 20a, controlled by the control system 12, and brought to rest with one of the numbers shown through the window 19.

[0029] Play can progress around the trail 17 by successive back illumination of the sections 17a simulating movement through a number of steps corresponding to the number selected with the feature disk 20.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the disk 20 of the feature display device comprises a one-piece moulded plastics thin-walled circular disk 20 say 320mm diameter, formed from polycarbonate or other material.

[0031] The disk 20 has a radially extending planar annular peripheral part 21 with inner and outer concentric circular edges 22, 23, and an inwardly directed well 24 defined by a flat circular wall part 25 linked to the annular part 21 by an axially extending cylindrical part 26. All parts 21, 25, 26 are coaxially disposed.

[0032] The wall part 25 extends radially, parallel to the annular part 21 and has a diameter equal to that of the inner edge 22 of the annular part 21.

[0033] The wall part 25 is displaced inwardly from the annular part 21 by say 50mm and the cylindrical part 26 is at right angles to the wall part 25 and the disk 20 is of 'top hat' shape as can be seen from Figure 3.

[0034] The annular part 21 has a planar outer face 27, facing away from the well, which defines a display face and to which printed matter is applied directly or via an attached band.

[0035] The annular part 21 and cylindrical part 26 are solid, continuous, imperforate structures, as also is the wall part 25 except for a central hole 29 which engages the shaft of the motor 20a. The wall part 25 is securely fixed on a shaft of the motor 20a by mounting means not shown and thereby the wall part 25 acts as a support structure to support the annular part 21 relative to the motor 20a.

[0036] The motor 20a is fixed on an internal frame structure 28 of the machine housing and this holds the disk 20 in position with the outer display face 27 of the annular part 21 closely behind the machine panel 2.

[0037] The printed matter on the face 27 comprises the aforementioned numbers. When operated, the motor 20a can rotate the disk 21 axially to bring the numbers on the face 27 successively into alignment with the window 19. When operation of the motor 20a is terminated the disk 20 comes to rest with one of the numbers selected and displayed through the window 19 in predetermined alignment with the window 19.

[0038] The well 24 defines a usable space between the panel 2 and the wall part 25. Within this space conveniently other devices such as a lamp box for back illumination of the panel 2, an alphanumeric display, a press button or the like may be mounted. In Figure 3, a lamp box 16a is shown by way of illustration.

[0039] With this arrangement the peripheral region of the disk 20 i.e. the face 27 is used for display purposes and the central region i.e. the well 24 provides usable space whereby optimum use can be made of the available surface area of the display panel 2.

[0040] It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.

Claims

1. A display device for an entertainment machine having a display panel (2), said device comprising a disk (20) adapted to be mounted on a motor (20a) to be rotatably driven thereby with a display face (27) of the disk located closely behind the display panel, characterised in that the disk has a circumferential display part (21) bounding a central aperture (24).

2. A display device according to claim 1 characterised in that the aperture (24) is defined by a recessed region having a support structure (25) displaced inwardly from the circumferential display part (21).

3. A display device according to claim 2 characterised in that the aperture (24) is circular and is axially centred relative to the disk.

4. A display device according to claim 2 or 3 characterised in that the displaced support structure (25) is provided with mounting means (29) adapted for drivable attachment to the motor (20a).

5. A display device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 characterised in that the circumferential part (21) is an annular part of the disk (20) having a substantially continuous planar outer surface defining the said display face (27).

6. A display device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 characterised in that the circumferential part (21) and the support structure (25) are formed as an integral one-piece body.

7. A player operable entertainment machine having a housing with at least one front display panel (2) and at least one display device operable to display at least one selected symbol at a display zone on the display panel, wherein the display device comprises a disk (20) mounted on a motor (20a) to be rotatably driven thereby, the disk (20) having a display face (27) located closely behind the display panel (2) with symbols marked thereon characterised in that the disk (20) has a circumferential display part (21) providing said display face (27) which bounds a central aperture (24).

8. A machine according to claim 7 wherein the said display device is a display device according to any one of claims 2-6.

Drawing