GB2183883A

GB2183883A - Gaming and amusement machines

Info

Publication number: GB2183883A
Application number: GB08628026A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Raymond Astle
Original assignee: Bell Fruit Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Bell Fruit Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 1985-11-30
Filing date: 1986-11-24
Publication date: 1987-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 2006-11-24
Also published as: GB8628026D0; GB2183883B; GB8529547D0

Abstract

The attractiveness and general appearance of symbols (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) carried on a reel (11) of a fruit machine (12) is enhanced by forming them in relief so that they stand out from the peripheral surface of the reel (11). The reel may be formed complete with the symbols in relief on its peripheral surface, but more conveniently the symbols (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) are formed in relief on and stand out from a detachable plastics strip (2) attached to the peripheral surface of the reel (11). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Gaming and amusement machines This invention relates to gaming and amusement machines and in particular to those commonly known as fruit machines in which a number of reels, usually three or four, carrying symbols on their peripheries are spun and then stopped at random, and if they come to a halt with any one of a number of selected combinations of symbols on a so-called 'pay line', an award is made or other equivalent benefit is obtained.

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 in 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.

In early days the symbols were painted on the periphery of the reel but nowadays they are almost invariably printed onto a strip of white card or plastics, twenty or up to twenty-four of them in a line, and the strip is secured around the periphery of a drumshaped reel. The use of such a detachable strip allows changes to be incorporated easily without having to change the reels themselves. The peripheries of the reels are visible side by side through a window in the face of the machine and they rely on external lighting to make them visible.

It has also been proposed to make the strip translucent and to illuminate the symbols from behind, either all of them or selected ones, for example only those on the payline, indeed the payline may be defined by those which are lit up.

The aim of the invention is to enhance further the attractiveness and general appearance of the symbols in a fruit machine. According to a first aspect the present invention consists in a reel for a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth in which the symbols carried on the periphery of the reel are formed in relief, i.e. in three dimensions, so that they stand out from the surface of the reel and thereby produce a substantial increase in realism and in the ability for them to be immedi ately recognised. For example each plum or orange could have the shape of substantially half the fruit.

A reel in accordance with the invention may be formed, for example by moulding or casting, complete with the symbols in relief on its periphery, but preferably the symbols are formed on and stand out from the face of a strip or sheet attached to a peripheral surface of the reel. Thus, according to a second aspect, the present invention consists in a strip or sheet having a flat portion for attachment to the peripheral surface of a reel of a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth and a plurality of symbols formed in relief that stand out from the flat portion of the strip or sheet.

The symbols may be formed by any suitable known method, for example by injection moulding from solid plastics or by a stamping or embossing operation on card or on plastics sheet material, but the simplest way is by vacuum-forming from plastics sheet.

The symbols may be opaque or translucent and lit from behind. Where they are opaque they can rely on the illumination from the surroundings or there could be lateral lighting from within the machine to bring out the relief.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of part of a strip in accordance with the second aspect of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the strip shown in Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a side view of part of a reel for a fruit machine with the strip of Figs. 1 and 2 attached to its periphery.

Figs. 1 and 2 show part of a strip which comprises a flat backing strip 2 having a rear surface for attachment to a fruit machine reel and several embossed symbols 3 to 9 which are formed in relief and stand out from the front surface of the backing strip 2. The symbols 3 to 9 are typical of some of the symbols commonly found on fruit machines, namely a plum 3, a pear 4, a 'lucky seven' 5, a bell 6, a bunch of cherries 7, a bunch of grapes 8, and a melon 9. Two of the symbols, 7 and 8 have super-imposed numbers 10 which also stand out from the backing strip 2. Such superimposed numbers allow a fruit machine to include a so-called 'trail fea ture'.

The strip 1 may be formed from any suitable material, for instance card or plastics sheet material, and the embossed symbols may be formed in relief by any convenient manner, preferably by vacuum-forming from plastics sheet. The symbols may be opaque or translucent.

Fig 3 shows the strip 1 of Figs. 1 and 2 attached to the cylindrical outer surface of a conventional reel 11 for a fruit machine 12.

The strip 1 may be secured to the reel 11 by any convenient means e.g. by adhesive. Preferably, the strip 1 is detachable from the reel 11 so that, in a fruit machine with a plurality of reels, several strips each carrying a different combination of symbols can be readily interchanged on the reels to enable many different games to be played on the same machine.

Normally only three symbols 5, 6 and 7 on a reel 11 are in full view of the player through a window 13 of the fruit machine 12. The embossed symbols which stand out from the surface of the reel 11 produce a substantial increase in realism and enhance the attractiveness and general appearance of the fruit machine 12. It will therefore be understood that the present invention also encompasses a fruit machine which incorporates a plurality of reels each carrying, on its periphery, symbols formed in relief which stand out from the surface of the reel. Furthermore, when the symbols are translucent, the fruit machine preferably includes means for illuminating at least some of the symbols in view of the player from behind, further enhancing the appearance of the symbols.

It is to be understood that within the scope of the invention are reels which have symbols formed in relief but which differ in shape from a cylindrical drum-shaped reel, e.g. frusto-conical reels and disc-shaped reels with symbols on their faces. In the latter case the embossed symbols may be arranged in a ring on a flat backing sheet for attachment to a flat face of a disc-shaped reel.

Claims

1. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth in which the symbols carried on the periphery of the reel are formed in relief so that they stand out from the surface of the reel.

2. A reel as claimed in claim 1 in which the symbols are formed in relief on and stand out from a flat portion of a strip or sheet attached to a peripheral surface of the reel.

3. A reel as claimed in claim 1 which is formed complete with the symbols in relief on its periphery.

4. A strip or sheet having a flat portion for attachment to a peripheral surface of a reel of a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth and a plurality of symbols formed in relief which stand out from the flat portion.

5. A strip or sheet as claimed in claim 4 which comprises a flat backing strip or sheet having a rear surface for attachment to the peripheral surface of the reel and a plurality of embossed symbols formed in relief which stand out from the front surface of the flat backing strip or sheet.

6. A strip or sheet as claimed in claim 4 or 5 which is vacuum-formed from plastics sheet material complete with the symbols in relief on it.

7. A strip or sheet as claimed in claim 4 or 5 which is made of card or plastics sheet material and in which the symbols are formed by a stamping or embossing operation.

8. A strip or sheet for attachment to the peripheral surface of a reel for a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth with a strip or sheet in accordance with any one of claims 4 to 8 attached to its periphery.

10. A reel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 or claim 9 in which the symbols are opaque.

11. A reel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 or claim 9 in which the symbols are translucent.

12. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth substantially as described herein with reference to Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A gaming or amusement machine of the kind set forth which includes a plurality of reels each in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 3 and claims 9 to 12.