GB2119990A - Coin-freed amusement-with- prizes machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A fruit machine comprises an up and down counter (12) arranged to be incremented by a selected amount for each credit unit when a coin is inserted into a coin mechanism (7) of the machine and to be decremented by a predetermined amount for each credit unit when the machine pays out a prize as a result of actuation of collect button (10). The setting of a control device (18) is continuously adjusted in dependence upon the difference between the accumulated count and an initial value to which the counter (12) is set, so as to vary the probability of a winning game and stabilize the payout ratio. A second counter (19) is incremented by a selected amount for each credit unit when a coin is inserted into the coin mechanism (7) and to be decremented by a predetermined amount each time start button (9) is pressed to play a game. The control device (18) is further adjusted in dependence upon the difference between the prevailing count and an initial value set in the counter (19) so as to tend to maintain a desired ratio of the number of total plays to the number of credit units inserted in the machine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to "coin-freed amusement-with-prizes machines This invention relates to coin-freed amusement-with-prizes machines, such as fruit machines, the term "coin" being used in this context to include tokens.

The invention concerns in particular such a machine having a credit meter which records the total number of credit units (each credit unit representing the cost of one play on the machine) which the player has to his credit at any time as a result of an inserted coin or coins and any prizes which he has won. Of course, one credit unit is deducted from the credit meter for each play and a zero total on the credit meter requires the player to insert a further coin, if he desires to continue playing.

The value of the reading on the credit meter can be collected by the player as coins at any time by pressing a collect button, the meter simultaneously being returned to its zero condition.

In practice, in playing these credit machines many small wins are not collected but are regambled in further games and eventually lost. The actual amount paid out by the machine as collected winnings is therefore in practice not the same as the win percentage calculated as the value of all prizes paid out as a percentage of the value of coins fed into the machine, the criterion normally taken as a measure of the profitability of the machine.

In a non-credit fruit machine, the number of plays is equal to the number of units of value fed into the machine as coins. Clearly, this is not the case with a credit machine unless all wins are collected as coins. In practice, it is found that many small wins are regambled from the credit meter and statistically the ratio is in practice about two plays for each credit unit inserted into the machine in coins.

According to the present invention, in one aspect thereof, there is provided a coin-freed amusement-with-prizes machine comprising an accumulating device having an incrementing mode and a decrementing mode, means for incrementing (or decrementing) the accumulating device by a first predetermind amount each time a unit of value is fed into the machine as a coin, means for decrementing (or incrementing) the accumulating device by a second predetermined amount each time a game is played on the machine, and means responsive to a difference of the value accumulated in the accumulating device from a set value for adjusting the setting of control means which influences the probability of a subsequent game being a winning game so as to tend to restore the accumulated value towards the set value.

In this way, the ratio of total plays to the units of value inserted as coins into the machine is stabilized at a desired value depending upon the relative values of the first and second predetermined amounts by which the accumulating device is incremented or decremented.

Desirably, the degree of control exerted by the control means increases with increasing difference between the accumulated value from the set value of the accumulating device.

Conveniently, the range between the set value and each end of the working range of the accumulating device is divided into bands of value each associated with a respective setting of the control means. Preferably, the bands of value into which the working range of the accumulating device is divided are adjacent bands.

Advantageously, the control means constitute means for enabling certain symbols to roll-over at the end of a game to reduce the occurrence of winning lines corresponding to prizes of relatively low value.

In one embodiment of the invention, the accumulating device is constituted by ai electronic up and down counter.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the invention also provides a coinfreed amusement-with-prizes machine comprising an accumulating device having an incrementing mode and a decrementing mode, means for incrementing (or decrementing) the accumulating device by a first predetermined amount each time a unit of value is fed into the machine as a coin, means for decrementing (or incrementing) the accumulating device by a second predetermined amount each time a unit of value is dispensed from the machine as a coin collected by the player, and means responsive to a difference of the value accumulated in the accumulating device from a set value for adjusting the setting of control means which influences the probability of a subsequent game being a winning game so as to tend to restore the accumulated value towards the set value, the degree of control exerted by the control means increasing with increasing difference of the accumulated value from the set value.

Desirably, the interval between the set value and each end of the working range of the accumulating device is divided into adjacent bands of value each associated with a respective setting of the control means.

Advantageously, the control means comprises means for controlling the roll-over of particular symbols at the end of a game to affect the occurrence of winning lines corresponding to prizes of relatively high value.

In one embodiment of the invention, the accumulating device comprises an electronic up and down counter.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a fruit machine having means for controlling both the pay out ratio and the ratio of total plays to units of value inserted as coins; Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the operating range of a pay out ratio counter of the machine; and Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the operating range of a total plays ratio counter of the machine.

Referring to Fig. 1, one embodiment of a fruit machine embodying the present invention comprises a front panel 1 having a window 2 through which are visible symbols on portions of the peripheries of three rotatable reels 3, 4 and 5. A pay line 6 is marked on the window and it is the combination of symbols in the row of symbols beneath the pay line 6 which determines whether a prize has been won by a player. The machine further comprises a coin mechanism 7 and a coin meter 8 for registering and displaying to the player the number of units of value currently standing to his credit as a result of an inserted coin and any prizes he has possibly won whilst playing the machine.Three player controls in the form of push buttons are provided, namely a start button 9 for initiating a game, a collect button 10 which a player may press in order to collect from the machine coins to the value of the credit currently indicated by the credit meter, and a gamble button 11 which a player may press in order to gamble a prize he has already won with a view to obtaining double the prize if he wins or nothing if he loses the gamble.

Fig. 1 shows means for stabilizing the ratio of coins collected from the machine as a result of the collect button 10 being pressed to coins inserted into the coin mechanism 7.

Such means comprises a pay out ratio accumulating device 1 2 in the form of a five digit up and down electronic counter haing a working numerical range of O to 99900. The counter 1 2 may be initialised at the beginning of a period of operation by a reset control 1 3 so that the counter contains an initial set or median count of fifty thousand, thereby allowing both up and down movement of the count, means however being provided to prevent the count from attaining values outside the valid working range of O to 99900.

Operation of the collect button 10 causes a signal to be applied to a down input 1 6 of the counter 12, so as to reduce the count in the counter by 100 for each credit unit collected.

Insertion of a coin into the coin mechanism 7 results in a signal being applied to an up input 14 of the counter 1 2 so as to increment the value in the counter by a predetermined amount which may be selected as one of five values determined by a rotary selector switch 1 5. The setting of the switch 1 5 determines the percentage pay out of the inserted coins to which the operation of the machine is stabilized. For example, in order to provide for 50% of the inserted coins to be paid out, the selector switch 1 5 is set so that the counter 1 2 is incremented by a count of 50 for each unit of credit inserted into the coin mechanism.

The difference between the accumulated count in the counter 1 2 at any time and the initial value to which the counter was set is indicative of the degree of deviation of the actual percentage pay out of the machine from the desired percentage pay out. This difference is detected and a corresponding signal is applied to a pay out input 1 7 of a control device which serves to increase or decrease the probability of a player obtaining a winning combination during subsequent games by acting on some controllable characteristic of the machine. For example, the device 1 8 may control the occurrence of rollovers of symbols, that control the movement of a reel at the end of a game so that a symbol which would otherwise complete a winning line is moved on beyond the pay line.

Thus, the lower the prevailing value in the counter 1 2 and thus the higher the actual pay out, the more the control 1 8 will enable roll overs on certain symbols to reduce the chances of winning. Similarly, the control 1 8 will act to reduce roll-overs when the prevailing value in the counter 1 2 is high and thus indicates an unduly low actual pay out. The pay out counter 1 2 is associated with control of special symbols, e.g. jackpot symbols, which are involved in winning lines resulting in relatively large prizes. As shown in Fig. 3, the operating range of the counter 1 2 is divided into ten ranges, each of which is asssociated with a corresponding setting of the roll-over control.In practice, the most significant digit of the counter is detected and is used to select the corresponding control setting from the possible ten settings. The effect of this stabilizing payout counter 1 2 is to allow pay out fluctuations whilst keeping them under long term control by causing the average count in the counter to tend in the long term towards the initial level.

The illustrated machine further comprises a total plays counter 1 9 which is an electronic up and down counter of the same form as that used for the payout counter 1 2. Each time the start button 9 is pressed to play a game, a signal is applied to a down input 20 of the counter 1 9 to decrease the count in the counter by 100. Each unit of value fed into the coin mechanism 7 causes a signal to be applied to an input 21 of the counter to increase the count by one of five possible values determined by a rotary selector switch 22. It is desired to maintain a ratio of two plays for each unit of value inserted in the coin mechanism 7, the count in the counter 1 9 is increased by 200 for each unit of credit inserted into the coin mechanism.The counter 1 9 includes reset means 23 for setting an initial value of fifty thousand in the counter.

The difference between the prevailing count and the initial value set in the counter 1 9 indicates a deviation from the desired ratio of total plays to inserted units of value and is used to supply a corresponding signal to a total plays input 24 of the roll-over control device 1 8. The lower the value in the counter 19, the more the control device 1 8 enables roll-overs on normal symbols which would result in wins of small value, thereby reducing the occurrence of such wins and reducing the total plays by inhibiting the regambling of small wins.Similarly, the roll-over control device will react to a high count in counter 1 9 by reducing the amount of roll-over on the normal symbols and thereby increasing the occurrence of small wins, so encouraging total plays to be increased by the regambling of such small wins.

Whilst the description of the above preferred embodiment of the invention refers to reels, the present invention is clearly applicable to any other kind of fruit machine, such as those having reels simulated by means of cathode ray tubes or optical projection arrangements. Similarly, whilst the control device 1 8 has been described as controlling the occurrence of symbol roll-over, it is envisaged that the necessary control in dependence upon the count contained in the two counters 1 2 and 1 9 could be effected by acting on anyother controllable characteristic of the machine which influences the probability of a player winning a prize. Further, the two counters 1 2 and 1 9 need not of course act on the same control characteristic of the machine but could indeed be used to influence respective different characteristics of the machine.

Claims (11)

1. A coin-freed amusement-with-prizes machine comprising an accumulating device having an incrementing mode and a decrementing mode, means for incrementing (or decrementing) the accumulating device by a first predetermined amount each time a unit of value is fed into the machine as a coin, means for decrementing (or incrementing) the accumulating device by a second predetermined amount each time a game is played on the machine, and means responsive to a difference of the value accumulated in the accumulating device from a set value for adjusting the setting of control means which influences the probability of a subsequent game being a winning game so as to tend to restore the accumulated value towards the set value.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the degree of control exerted by the control means increases with increasing difference between the accumulated value from the set value of the accumulating device.

3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein the range between the set value and each end of the working range of the accumulating device is divided into bands of value each associated with a respective setting of the control means.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein the bands of value into which the working range of the accumulating device is divided are adjacent bands.

5. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means constitute means for enabling certain symbols to roll-over at the end of a game to reduce the occurrence of winning lines corresponding to prizes of relatively low value.

6. A coin-freed amusement-with-prizes machine comprising an accumulating device having an incrementing mode and a decrementing mode, means for incrementing (or decrementing) the accumulating device by a first predetermined amount each time a unit of value is fed into the machine as a coin, means for decrementing (or incrementing) the accumulating device by a second predetermined amount each time a unit of value is dispensed from the machine as a coin collected by the player, and means responsive to a difference of the value accumulated in the accumulating device from a set value for adjusting the setting of control means which influences the probability of a subsequent game being a winning game so as to tend to restore the accumulated value towards the set value, the degree of control exerted by the control means increasing with increasing difference of the acumulated value from the set value.

7. A machine according to claim 6, wherein the interval between the set value and each end of the working range of the accumulating device is divided into adjacent bands of value each associated with a respective setting of the control means.

8. A machine according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control means comprises means for controlling the roll-over of particular symbols at the end of a game to affect the occurrence of winning lines corresponding to prizes of relatively high value.

9. A machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the accumulating device comprises an electronic up and down counter.

1 0. An amusement-with-prizes machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel feature or combination of features herein described.