GB2256738A

GB2256738A - Gaming and amusement machines.

Info

Publication number: GB2256738A
Application number: GB9112758A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence Howard
Original assignee: Bell Fruit Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Bell Fruit Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 1991-06-13
Filing date: 1991-06-13
Publication date: 1992-12-16
Also published as: DE4217782A1; NL9201033A; GB9112758D0

Description

-) 2 -) 6 7 -21 1 GAMING AND AMUSEMENT MACHINES This invention relates to

gaming or amusement-with-prizes machines, f or example of the kind generally known as 'fruit machines'.

A common type of fruit machine has three,or sometimes more, reels carrying symbols which are set in rotation and then stop in turn at random intervals and if the resulting combination of symbols on the three (or more) reels appearing on a given line in the display, the 'win line', is one which has been designated a winning combination, the player receives an award or a credit. Instead of actual reels, it is known to use other forms of display which simulate rotating reels to a greater or lesser degree, for example the Panascope, or a video screen on which images of the symbols appear.

Many special features are provided nowadays in fruit machines, indeed they have to some extent taken over f rom the basic game, in that most of the bigger wins are obtained by the special features rather than by the initial result when the reels f irst come to a halt. The special features may be awarded at random intervals following non-winning games on the reels, but more commonly these days they are awarded following completion of a so-called 'ladder' or 'trail feature in which a ladder is provided on an artwork display panel and may be illuminated as result of certain symbols, e.g. symbols bearing superimposed numbers, appearing on the win line. When the 'ladder' or 'trail' iscomplete, a jackpot prize or another special feature which may result in a jackpot prize may be awarded.

2 Often a plurality of special features may be provided on a fruit machine with some features offering a greater chance to win a higher prize than other features. The plurality of special features may also be arranged in a ' f eature ladder ' or traill' and when the player is awarded one special feature he may be given the opportunity to gamble between to either gaining another special feature higher up on the feature ladder or trail or losing the special feature altogether. This gamble feature is also often displayed using an illuminated artwork display panel.

1 Illuminated displays of fruit machines are an important part of their appeal to the user, and are invariably provided. In the majority of fruit machines artwork for display panels is printed on the reverse of glass sheets in order to convey various aspects of the game to the player and to attract him to the machine. This artwork is, in the appropriate places, translucent and is illuminated from the rear. Although any convenient light source could be used conventionally low-voltage incandescent light bulbs are used, for reasons of cost and ready availability for manufacture of the machine and for servicing. It is known to support these bulbs and space them from the rear of the glass sheet by several means, the most common being either a wooden former with suitable apertures cut into it through which the lamps shine and across the back of which is attached a sheet of plastics material with holes pierced in it into which the bulb holders are inserted, or by using a single sheet of formed plastics material, the forming being by means of vacuum techniques with the lamps eing contained in pockets as required and holes being pierced in the back of the formed sheet at the rear of the pockets for the insertion of the bulb holders which are car-ried by the 3 plastics sheet. In each case there are webs of material between each lamp position in order to def ine and isolate the illuminated areas, as required by the various features of the machine.

There are several problems found in the implementation of such systems of illumination. One of these is that the size of the hole required to mount the bulb holders commonly used in current practice is large in relationship to the size of the bulb, and so there is a considerable amount of light spillage through the back of the illuminated pockets, which detracts from the attractiveness of the machine. The depth of the lamp holders is also large in relation to the size of the bulb, and so the rear surfaces of the pockets are a considerable distance from the front glass. This means that any light reflection from the rear of the pocket, which aids the brightness of the illuminated areas when seen from the front machine, is reduced. The vacuum formed plastics component is a single sheet and does not have a great degree of mechanical strength or rigidity which can make the mechanical fixing into the machine dif f icult. On the other hand the bulb holder is mounted on the f ormed sheet and so the sheet must have a degree of mechanical strength. The bulb holder is mounted in illuminated profiled pockets and the pitch distance between adjacent bulb centres is determined by the size of the mounting hole for the bulb holder and the draft angle of the pockets.

According to the invention we provide a gaming or amusement machine having a f ront panel at least having areas of transparent or translucent material, a mounting member carrying light-emitting means, and a light screen provided between the mounting member and the front panel, the light screen defining a pocket or 4 recess surrounding an aperture, the light emitting means being mounted on the mounting member adjacent the aperture and extending to or through the aperture, the aperture being as large as, or just bigger than that portion of the light-emitting weans which projects through it, and in which the pocket or recess of the screen bears substantially more of the weight of the light-emitting means.

Since the pocket-defining element no longer has to support the lightemitting means it can be designed purely for the optical requirements of the machine, without compromise.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a new arrangement for illuminating a display panel.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:- Figure 1 illustrates the prior art;

Figure 2 illustrates in cross-section a display panel and illumination panel assembly of a fruit machine in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of another illumination panel assembly; and Figures 4 and 5 show features of detail of modified illumination.panel assemblies.

The prior art is represented in Figure 1 which shows a display screen 1 of a f ruit machine having a glass front panel 2 upon the rear of which is printed artwork 3 (such as a trail or ladder). A sheet 4 of stiff plastics material defines pockets 5 in which light bulb holders 6 and their associated light bulbs 7 are mounted. The pockets 5 have apertures 8 at which the light bulb holders 6 are mounted on the sheet 4.

The sheet 4 must be strong enough to support the light bulb holders 6 and their bulbs 7, and must also have the appropriate optical shape to reflect light to the front panel 2. The apertures 6 are relatively large in order to accommodate the holders 6.

Figures 2 to 4 illustrate features of a fruit machine 10 having a reel 11 carrying symbols, a main body or carcass 12, and a display panel 13 provided with light units 14 which selectively illuminate portions of the panel 13.

nanel 16 Figures 2 and 3 best illustrate the display panel which comprises a glass front sheet 15, a rear mounting 91 a light mask or reflector screen 17 interposed between the mounting panel 16 and the front sheet 15, an artwork panel 18 interposed between the screen 17 and the f ront sheet 15, and an array of the light units 14.

Each light unit 14 comprises a light bulb 19 held in a bulb holder 20 which is wired to control circuitry of the fruit machine.

The mounting panel 16 is vacuum formed of plastics material and has an array.of relatively large holes 21 adapted to receive the light bulb holders 20. The holders 20 are mounted on the panel 16 at the holes 21 and are carried by the panel 16. The panel 16 has one or more raised plateau 22, and reinforcing ribs 23 6 moulded in it. The reinforcing ribs can extend very close to, or even right up to, a hole 21. The panel 16 is a weight-bearing component (it bears the weight of the bulbs and bulb holders) connected to the main body of the f ruit machine, or to a main support f rame. The panel 16 has a flat outer peripheral flange 25 and a central projection 25a.

The light reflecting screen 17 is vacuum formed of plastics material and defines an array of pockets 26 having holes 27 at their bases of relatively small diameter. The screen 17 has an outer peripheral flange 28 which contacts the flange 25 and may be fixed to it by glue, clips, or any suitable means.. The holes 27 register with the bulbs 19 and are of a diameter which is only just bigger than that of the bulbs. The bulbs project through the holes 27 into the pockets 26. The screen 17 also has a central projection 25b, complementary to the projection 25a of the mounting panel, the two projections meeting and being fastened together by a fastening button 29, which may be releasable. The screen 17 is more f limsy than the panel 16 since it does not bear any weight. The pockets 26 are designed to reflect light from the bulbs 19 forward towards the glass front panel.

The artwork panel 18 is also of thin vacuum formed plastics sheet material and bears appropriate artwork. It is illuminated f rom. behind by the bulbs 19 and is located into and supported by either areas of the mounting panel 16 or regions of the screen 17 (but not the pocket regions of the screen 17). The artwork panel may have a flange similar to flanges 25 and 28 which may be connected to the other flanges. It may also have a projection connected to the button 29.

7 Alternatively the artwork panel may be carried by the glass sheet 15, or the body of the fruit machine.

The artwork panel may be omitted altogether and the artwork provided directly on the glass sheet 15, as in the prior art. it will be appreciated that when the artwork is provided on a separate element it can be replaced with another without replacing the glass front panel.

Figure 4 shows a schematic section through a fruit machine with a modified reflector screen 17. The screen 17 has a shroud 30 covering parts of the reel mechanism and hiding them from view. The shroud 30 could be an integral part of the screen 17 or of the panel 16, as may be convenient. The provision of parts of a fruit machine which are at present provided as separate components as part of the screen 17, or the panel 16, or even the panel 18, reduces manufacturing and assembly costs. The screen 17 can incorporate any component such as a reel shroud which is not weight bearing, or which is not too heavy for the thin screen.

The mounting panel 16 can incorporate as integral components substantially heavier or more rugged components, such as a coin entry recess or bezel. Figure 5 shows a coin entry recess 31 defined at least in part by an extension of the mounting panel 17.

A further component, such as back member 32, may be provided at a coin entry slot and may be connected to the mounting panel at its peripheral flange 25.

4 It will be appreciated that we can provide our mounting panel with reinforcingr structural, formations (such as ribs) designed with mechanical strength in 8 mind, and our light screen with pockets designed with optical properties in mind, and do not have to compromise between the two requirements. The single sheet of the prior art is a compromise of design since ribs would interfere with the optical properties of its pockets.

Advantages of our invention include the fact that we can have our pockets closer together than in the prior art (our holes in the light screen are smaller), we reduce the amount of light spillage through the hole in the light screen, and since we have greater design freedom in the hole size and draft angle of the pockets we can make them shallower, bringing the light closer is to the glass screen.

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Claims

A gaming or amusement machine having a display comprising a front panel of transparent material, a mounting member carrying light-emitting means, and a light screen provided between the mounting member and the front panel, the light screen defining a pocket or recess surrounding an aperture, the light emitting means being mounted on the mounting member adjacent the aperture and extending to or through the aperture, and the aperture being as a large as, or just bigger than that portion of the light-emitting means which projects through it, and in which the pocket or recess of the screen bears substantially none of the weight of the light-emitting means.
2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the screen is attached to the mounting member and is supported from it.
3. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the light screen touches the front panel.
4. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the screen is a panel.
5. A machine according to any preceding claim in which artwork is provided on an artwork panel disposed in front of the light screen.
6. A machine according to claim 5 in which the artwork panel is supported by the mounting member.
7. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the mounting member is moulded in plastics material.

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8. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the mounting member is a panel.
9. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the mounting member includes stiffening rib formations or the like.
10. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the screen has support formations which engage complementary support formations on the mounting member.
11. A machine according to claim 10 in which the screen is supported at its periphery by the mounting member.
12. A machine according to claim 11 in which the mounting member and screen have complementary peripheral flanges which engage each other.
13. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the mounting member has an array of relatively large holes which receive and mount light bulb holders, and the light screen has a complementary array of smaller holes which are aligned with the holes of the mounting member, the arrangement being such that the light bulbs, but not the light bulb holders, extend to or through the holes of the light screen.

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14. A machine according to any preceding claim in which the light screen and/or the mounting member has formed integrally with it another component of the machine, such as a reel shroud or a coin entry bezel.

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15. A gaming or amusement machine substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 to 7 the accompanying drawings.
16. A display panel illumination assembly for use in a machine in accordance with any one of the claims 1 to 15.

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