GB2237430A

GB2237430A - Improvements relating to amusement or vending machines

Info

Publication number: GB2237430A
Application number: GB9022499A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jeffrey Hull; Richard Thomas Cox
Original assignee: COIN DEVELOPMENTS Ltd
Current assignee: COIN DEVELOPMENTS Ltd
Priority date: 1989-10-18
Filing date: 1990-10-17
Publication date: 1991-05-01
Also published as: GB9022499D0; GB8923514D0

Abstract

A cabinet 1 houses two or more amusement or vending machines. In one arrangement two amusement machines are back-to-back with their display panels 2 on opposite sides. The machines may have shared facilities, such as a common power supply, common audio system, common reservoir of prizes, or microprocessor. Other arrangements are possible, and with a cabinet triangular or polygonal in plan (Figure 2), the machines may be presented at at least two faces. The cabinet may be free standing or with one side against a wall. The machine may include removable panels 2,6 for access to the interior. <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements relating to Amusement or Vending Machines" This invention relates to amusement or vending machines, and by such a term in this specification is meant not only machines that are purely for amusement, with or without prizes, or solely for vending, but those which require some skill and those which may combine amusement, skill, prize-awarding and/or vending.

Conventionally, fruit machines and the like are housed in cabinets standing almost head-high, with a panel facing the player and control buttons on a shelf below the panel. Access to the works is usually through a door at the back extending the full height and width of the cabinet.

When such machines were electro-mechanical, the various mechanisms were bulky and complex, and occupied most of the space. However, for ten years or so now nearly all such machines have been controlled by a microprocessor and the amount and size of components needed to work them has dramatically decreased, leaving a large part of each cabinet empty. But the conservatism of most players has led manufacturers to stick to traditional sizes and shapes of cabinets.

There is no necessity for this, and it is the aim of this invention to provide a more compact arrangement.

According to the present invention there is provided a combination of two or more amusement or vending machines housed in a single cabinet.

Preferably, with just two machines, they will be arranged back-to-back, but there could be other layouts, and with a cabinet triangular or polygonal in plan, the machines may be presented at at least two faces.

With two or more machines there can be a certain variety. Generally, the machines will be different in character, offering a variety of games, selling different goods, or providing both an amusement machine and a vending machine from a single cabinet.

Conveniently, where the machines incorporate panels as mentioned above, those panels will be removable for access to the interior of the cabinet and thus to the mechanical, electrical and electronic components. Further access may be provided by a removable cover, and by doors in the sides and/or below the control button shelves.

The machines may have shared facilities, such as a common power supply, a common reservoir of prizes, a common audio system and a common microprocessor control system.

For a better understanding of the present invention, some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a two-in-one amusement machine, and Figure 2 shows diagrammatic plan views of further multiple amusement machines.

In Figure 1 a cabinet 1 is symmetrical in mirror image fashion with respect to a central vertical plane C.

On each face there is a panel 2 with, for example, windows in which fruit machine reels are displayed, and below that a shelf 3 with control buttons 4. There are various access doors 5 to the inside of the cabinet, and a cover 6 is removable as indicated by the broken line.

The cabinet houses two amusement machines, preferably different, which are played by reference to the associated panels 2 and by the respective sets of buttons 4.

However, although the machines will appear to be quite independent, they may share certain facilities. For example, a common power supply can be used, there can be a common audio system (the custom being for such machines to have noises, tunes and so on to accompany various operations), and possibly a common reservoir of prizes if they are prize-awarding machines. A single microprocessor system can govern two or more machines and, if desired, each game can be independently replaced by another, simply by changing only the panel and a chip or two within the cabinet.

The cabinet can be free-standing or set with one side against a wall, giving much greater flexibility than the conventional one-game machine. That more or less has to be set against a wall or back-to-back with another, separate machine, taking up a lot of floor space.

Referring to Figure 2, (a) shows an alternative two-in-one arrangement where, in plan, the cabinet is an isosceles triangle with the base forming a back and the two games being presented on the two equal sides.

A free standing three-in-one arrangement is shown in Figure 2(b), while one suitable for standing against a wall is shown in Figure 2(c).

A free standing four-in-one arrangement is shown in Figure 2(d), and it will be understood that other shapes and numbers can be adopted if desired.

Claims

1. A combination of two or more amusement or vending machines housed in a single cabinet.

2. A combination as claimed in Claim 1, wherein there are two machines back-to-back.

3. A combination as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, in plan, the cabinet is triangular or polygonal, and wherein said machines are presented at at least two faces.

4. A combination as Claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the machines are different in character.

5. A combination as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the machines have display panels removable for access to the interior of the cabinet.

6. A combination as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the machines have a common power supply.

7. A combination as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the machines are prize-awarding machines, and wherein there is a common reservoir of prizes within the cabinet.

8. A combination as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein there is a common audio system.

9. combination as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the machines are microprocessor controlled from a common system.

10. A combination of two or more amusement or vending machines substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.