GB1596363A - Entertainment machines - Google Patents

Abstract

An entertainment machine can be operated by a player, after insertion of a coin or token into a coin mechanism to cause the machine to produce a moving or changing visual display which is terminated at random to give a fixed display, and a win indication is produced if the fixed display is of a predetermined nature. The machine has a control system which incorporates a processing device and a programme device, which programme device can be changed to enable different games to be played with the machine. The visual display is produced on the front screen (2) of an electronic visual display unit, such as a cathode ray tube (45), and the programme device (18) of the control system determines the nature of the display produced on the screen (2).

Description

PATENT SPECIFICATION

( 11) 1 596 363 Application No 24720/78 ( 22) Filed 31 May 1978 Patent of Addition To No 1545301 dated 14 Apr 1976

Complete Specification Published 26 Aug 1981

INT CL 3 GO 7 F 17/34 Index at acceptance G 4 V 118 AA ( 54) ENTERTAINMENT MACHINES ( 71) We, BARCREST LIMITED, a British Company of Richmond Street, Ashton-underLyne, Lancashire OL 7 OAL, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:

This invention relates to entertainment machines including both gaming machines and 0 non-gaming amusement machines of the kind, hereinafter referred to as the kind defined which can be operated by a player, after actuation of the machine by insertion of one or more coins or tokens into a coin mechanism of the machine, to initiate performance of first machine operations represented by a visual display of a moving or changing nature terminating at random in a fixed visual display, said machine being arranged to perform further 0 operations resulting in a win indication in the event that said fixed display is of a predetermined nature, and said machine incorporating a control system arranged to respond to and effect control of said machine operations, the control system incorporating a processing device and a programme device incorporated in the control system for feeding programme information to the processing device, said programme device being adapted to be changed D for changing the nature of said programme information so that the machine can be adapted for the playing of different games therewith.

In our British Patent Specification No.

1,545,301 there is described an entertainment machine of the kind which is operable by a player, after actuation of the machine by insertion of one or more coins or tokens into a coin mechanism of the machine, so as to perform a number of operations as initiated by D the player, and to perform further operations determined by the first said operation, which machine incorporates a control system arranged to respond to and effect control of machine operations, wherein said control system incorporates a processing device, and a plurality of interchangeable programme devices is provided for individual detachable incorporation in the control system for feeding different respective programme infor) mation to the processing device corresponding respectively to adaptation of the machine for the playing of different games therewith, whereby the machine can be adapted for playing a selected such game by selection of the pertaining said programme device for said incorporation in the control system.

More specifically said British Patent Specification describes such a control system in which the processing device is in the form of a microprocessor unit (MPU) in the context of an entertainment machine of the fruit machine type, that is, a machine having a number of rotatable members such as drums or discs carrying symbols or indicia, which members are in play set in rotation and subsequently come to rest with a combination of said indicia displayed to the player, the duration of rotation of each member, and hence the displayed combination of indicia being determined wholly or largely on a random basis and a reward mechanism being actuated in the event that said displayed combination is of predetermined nature.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an entertainment machine of the kind defined, which is characterised in that the machine has an electronic visual display unit having a front screen arranged to produce said visual displays thereon, and said visual display unit is connected to the said control system so that production of said displays thereon is arranged to be controlled by the control system in accordance with the programme information provided by the programme device selected for incorporation in the system.

With this arrangement it will be appreciated that the said entertainment machine advantageously can be constructed with the minimum of mechanical systems Thus, in the case where the entertainment machine is a fruit machine, the arrangement may be such that, in place of the usual rotating discs or drums and associated drive equipment, the visual display unit may be arranged to produce a visual display simulating the rotation of discs or drums Reliability can therefore be improved and also it may be possible to perform operations and achieve effects which may be impossible or inconvenient with ( 21) ( 61) ( 44) ( 51) ( 52) 1 596363 conventional mechanical systems, for example, it may be possible to provide simulated discs or drums with many more different stopping positions than the usual 20 stopping positions with conventional fruit machines, and it may be possible to have many more than the usual three or four drums or discs The use of a visual display in substitution for a mechanical system may also render more difficult interference with the machine by dishonest practices.

Further, the game played with the entertainment machine can be varied in a simple and convenient manner by changing the operation of the control system, particularly by replacing or modifying said programme device thereof as described in the aforesaid co-pending Applications, and in this respect it will be noted that such change in operation of the control system can change not only the functioning of the machine but also the nature of the visual display fhus, for example, in the case where the display simulates rotating fruit machine drums, the display may be changed to vary features such as the number of simulated discs or drums, the number or kind of simulated indicia on the peripheries of such discs or drums, and the like Also, the display may be changed to change the nature of the entertainment machine, for example, by changing the display from a simulated fruit machine display to a display appropriate to a simulated ball game of known kind in which a symbol representing a ball is impelled backwards and forwards by simulated impact with further symbols which are movable under the control of players The invention is not of course intended to be restricted to these games and the entertainment machine of the invention may be capable of use in the playing of any other suitable game or for any other suitable entertainment and/or educational purpose.

Further, the arrangement may be such that the visual display unit is arranged to produce a visual display representative of the aforesaid second machine operations and/or a visual display providing information, instructions, decorative matter and the like appropriate to the game to be played Thus, for example, in the case where the entertainment machine is a fruit machine the visual display may not only simulate the rotation of drums or discs but may also give win indications when a winning combination is obtained, may display information relating to the game such as details of winning combinations, and may display decorative borders, simulated window frames around the simulated drums or discs, and the like In this way it will be appreciated that many of the unreliable components usually provided in fruit machines such an indicator lamps can be omitted in so far as their function can be performed by a display on an appropriate section of the visual display unit.

Further, complex and expensive constructional and artistic work such as is usually provided at the front of a fruit machine can be minimised or obviated in so far as such work can be provided and readily changed by appropriate operation of the visual display unit It is how 70 ever to be understood that all components such as indicator lamps and all fixed constructional and artistic work need not of course be omitted.

Further, the advantages discussed in re 75 lation to the machine of the aforesaid British Patent Specification may also apply in relation to the machine of the present invention particularly having regard to the facility for standardisation between machines and the 80 ability to test machines with programmed testing devices Indeed, in so far as the machine of the present invention may rely to a greater extent on electronic systems as opposed to mechanical systems, standardisation to a much 85 greater extent can be achieved.

With regard to the visual display unit of the machine of the present invention, this may take any suitable form but preferably comprises a cathode ray tube particularly a colour video 90 tube.

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 95 one form of a machine according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of the machine.

The machine comprises a floor-standing box-structure housing 1 containing a colour 100 video tube 45 (Figure 2) the front screen 2 of which is exposed through an opening in a front wall of the housing A conventional coin mechanism has a slot 3 mounted at the front of the housing as also are control switches 4, and a 105 pay-out chute 5 Inside the housing 1 there is a control system, as shown in Figure 2, which is connected to the coin mechanism, to the switches 4, to the video tube and to other mechanisms and devices such as indicator 110 lamps, game counters, coin counters, pay-out solenoids and the like.

The control system comprises a main sequential processing device, namely a microprocessor unit MPU with associated auxiliary 115 devices such as a power supply (not shown), clock device 10, random access memory (RAM) and interface units (PIA) In the usual manner, the MPU is connected to the RAM and PIA devices via control, data and address buses 11, 120 12, 13.

The PIA units are connected to switching triacs 14 which control switching of heavy duty components such as pay-out solenoids, to switching transistors 15 which control 125 switching of indicator lamps 16, and to input switches 17 such as coin mechanism and player control switches.

The MPU also has connected thereto via the buses 11, 12, 13 a programme device in the 130 form of a plug-in module 18 comprising an en character codes of the display RAM Once this cased printed circuit board with memory devices latch has been set it determines all the following and associated components thereon The memory character colours until the next colour modifier devices comprise ROM/PROM devices The code is detected and latched Colour modifier module has a multi-pin p c b plug 19 which is codes cause the appropriate background colour 70 detachably engageable with an appropriate to be displayed on the video tube at the persocket 20 of the control system taining location.

The MPU is also connected via a bi-direc It will be noted that the CRTC device and tional three-state buffer device 21 to a buffered the display RAM are under the control of the data bus 23 connected to a cathode ray tube MPU via the three-state data buffer 21 and an 75 controller device (CRTC) which may be a address multiplexer 39 Many of the parameters Motorola MC 6845 (Registered Trade Mark) of the CRTC are under software control, such device The MPU address bus 13 is also connec as size and number of characters displayed on ted to an address bus 24 of the CRTC device the screen.

This device has outputs 22 which are connec With the arrangement described above, in use 80 ted to the video tube 45 and are arranged to the video tube produces a visual display comfeed timing signals (line and frame sync) to prising a side-by-side arrangement of sets of the video tube 45 under the control of the MPU fruit symbols 6, an arrangement of alphanumeric The CRTC device also produces, under the characters and symbols at fixed positions 7 on control of the MPU, 12 bit display address out the video screen providing information for 85 puts via line 26 which are used to produce a example concerning the value of coins to be display on the video tube screen in accordance inserted, the awards which can be obtained with with data stored in a display RAM 25 various winning combinations, and if desired The display RAM 25 typically has a 1 k X 8 other information or decorative matter or borbit storage capacity and each location within der lines for example defining a 'window' aroundo O the RAM represents an area on the video tube the fruit symbols 6 and the like There may also screen, and each such area has a unique 8-bit be appropriate information and/or instructions character or symbol code Each such code being on the screen adjacent the control switches 4; read from the display RAM is held in an 8-bit and there may be portions of the screen on which character latch 27 The 8-bit code (on a information or instructions or the like is dis 95 character address bus 29) together with a 4-bit played on an occasional basis for example row address (on a row address bus 30 from the information indicating that a 'hold' facility is CRTC device) are used to address a number of available in respect of one or more sets of fruit PROM character/symbol generators 28, which symbols, information indicating that a win has like the above-mentioned ROM/PROM devices been achieved, and the like 100 may be in the form of a separate plug-in module When appropriate switches 4 are operated incorporated in or separate to the ROM/PROM by a player the side-by-side sets of fruit symbols module 18 6 change rapidly, simulating rotation of convenIn response to such address, a single one of tional fruit machine discs or drums, for random the character PRO Ms 28 produces an 8-bit periods of time and a randomly selected fixed 105 output at line 31 appropriate to the production display of such symbols is then produced.

on the screen of a displayed alphanumeric Change of each set of symbols is achieved by character, such display being a two-colour cycling a predetermined sequence of symbols display, background and foreground Also, and the stopping of this cycling after a random two combined symbol PRO Ms 28 produce an period of time is achieved in any suitable manner 110 8-bit output at line 32 appropriate to the analogous to the random stopping of the roproduction on the screen of a displayed fruit tation of conventional fruit machine drums.

symbol (a cherry, orange or the like), such When all sets of symbols have stopped changing, display being a two-colour display with black assessment is made as to whether or not the and white In this respect it will be seen that displayed symbols represent a predetermined 115 outputs of the PRO Ms 28 are connected via winning combination and then appropriate dot multiplexers 33 (giving I-bit outputs) to action is initiated with regard to the production red, green and blue colour channels 34, 35,36 of win indications, the actuating of pay-out of the video tube The dot multiplexers 33 are mechanism and the like.

also connected via a 3-bit dot address line 42 to It will be noted that the display and the 120 an 8 M Hz dot rate clock 43 via a divider 44 A nature of the game can be changed by changing 1 M Hz output of the divider is also connected the plug-in module or modules If desired, and to a character rate clock input of the CRTC as shown in dotted lines, a further plug-in In this way, the foreground and background module 40 or section of the ROM/PROM and/ may be in any of eight colours (the various or character/symbol PROM module or modules 125 combinations of red, green and blue) giving 64 may be provided for expanding the display colour combinations The combination selected RAM 25.

is determined by a 6-bit code fed to a colour Such change of modules may be utilised to modifier ROM device 37 from a 6-bit colour give changes in the details of the game, for modifier latch 38 which is set by 64 of the 256 example, by changing the awards, or the 130 1 596 363 1 596 363 winning combinations, or even the number of sets of symbols, but without departing from the general fruit machine format Additionally, if desired, the change of modules may change the format of the machine to the extent that the machine can be used for playing a bat and ball type video game In this case there may be provision for feeding linear inputs from player controls via a converter 41 to the MPU via one PIA thereof If desired, there may be a plurality of programme modules appropriate to different games and there may be a selector switch whereby an appropriate module can be selected by a player to give a desired game.

There may also be a test module which is plugged in or selected with a selector switch to enable the machine to be tested automatically in like manner to that described in the aforementioned British Patent Specification.

With the arrangement described above it will be appreciated that a plurality of machines can be used for playing different games yet a considerable degree of standardisation between machines can be achieved Thus, the same housing, video tube, control switches can be used irrespective of the game to be played.

Only the plug-in modules need differ.

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 Also, it is to be understood that all features of the machine described in the aforesaid British Patent Specification may be incorporated in the machine of the present invention as appropriate.

Claims (7)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1 An entertainment machine of the kind defined characterised in that the machine has an electronic visual display unit having a front screen arranged to produce said visual displays thereon, and said visual display unit is connected to the said control system so that production of said displays thereon is arranged to be controlled by the control system in accordance with the programme information 45 provided by the programme device selected for incorporation in the system.

2 A machine according to claim 1, wherein said visual display unit comprises a colour cathode ray tube and operation of same is 50 controlled by said control system in accordance with information in binary form stored in said programme device.

3 A machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the programme device comprises one or more 55 detachable plug-in modules.

4 A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving or changing visual display on the visual display unit is arranged to simulate the rotation of discs or drums of a 60 fruit machine and the fixed visual display is arranged to simulate such discs or drums when stopped.

A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control system is also 65 arranged to control the production on the visual display unit of a visual display representative of the said win indication and/or of other information and/or instructions and/or decorative matter appropriate to the game to be 70 played.

6 A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which in in the form of a fruit machine.

7 An entertainment machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and 75 as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

SYDNEY E M'CAW & CO Chartered Patent Agents Saxone House 52-56 Market Street 80 MANCHESTER M 1 IPP Agents for the Applicants Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by MULTIPLEX techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent 1981 Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC 2 l AY, from which copies may be obtained.