GB2297857A - Reel for fruit machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A reel unit for a fruit machine has a rotatable structure (7) and an electric motor (13) drivably connected to the structure. The rotatable structure (7) has an internal toothed periphery (12) which is engaged by a pinion (16) on the motor (13). This toothed periphery (13) is disposed inwardly of the outer periphery (9) of the reel so as to give a gearing effect.

Description

REEL FOR ENTERTAINMENT MACHINE This invention relates to a reel for an entertainment machine.

With an entertainment machine, such as a fruit machine, of the kind with which a symbol is selected from a series of symbols and then displayed to the player, it is common practice to use a rotatable reel with the series of symbols marked around its periphery. The reel is rotated and then brought to rest with the selected symbol in precise registration with a win line. This rotation and then stopping of the reel is commonly achieved with a stepper motor which is drivably connected to the reel by direct engagement of a toothed periphery of the reel with a pinion or toothed wheel on the motor.

This known arrangement has considerable practical advantages. The stepper motor can be conveniently controlled by feed of pulses from a microprocessor control circuit, and the drive connection can be established in a simple, convenient and inexpensive manner, particularly using a plastics reel with integral moulded peripheral teeth.

However, the direct drive connection without intervening gearing can give rise to problems, since the motor is required to operate repeatedly to accelerate the reel from rest to its operational speed. Having regard to the inertia of the reel and the usual small size of the motor, it can occur that the reel fails to operate in correct synchronism with the feed pulses or fails to rotate at all.

It would be possible to overcome this problem by interposing a gearing arrangement between the motor and the reel but this is not a satisfactory solution in terms of cost and convenience of manufacture and installation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved drive mechanism for a reel of an entertainment machine which is of a simple convenient and inexpensive nature.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a reel for an entertainment machine comprising a rotatable structure and a motor drivably connected to the structure to effect rotation thereof, characterised in that the drivable connection is effected with an internal toothed periphery incorporated within the rotatable reel structure inwardly of the periphery thereof.

With this arrangement the motor drives the reel through a toothed periphery of smaller diameter to, and inwardly (towards the axis of rotation) of the reel whereby a gearing effect is achieved in a particularly simple and convenient manner.

Most preferably the reel structure is a plastics moulding and the inner toothed periphery is formed integrally as part of the moulding. Preferably also the motor is a stepper motor and is engaged with the inner toothed periphery through a pinion or toothed wheel on the motor shaft. Other kinds of motors may be used if required.

The reel and motor preferably form a unit suitable for detachable or removable mounting and insertion in an entertainment machine. The entertainment machine may be a fruit machine.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a fruit machine incorporating reels in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of one of the reels.

Referring to the drawings, a fruit machine comprises a cabinet 1 with upper and lower front screen-printed glasses 2, 3.

Behind the lower front glass there are three reels 4 mounted side-by-side so as to be rotatable about a common horizontal axis behind a window 5 in the glass. The window is marked with a central horizontal win line 6.

The reels 4are marked with symbols (e.g. 20) around their peripheries at regular intervals, such symbols being carried on a flexible band fastened around the periphery of an injection moulded plastics structure 7 as described hereinafter.

When the reels 4 are at rest, each reel displays one selected symbol on the win line 6 and two further symbols can be seen in the window 5 above and below the line 6. The reels 4 act to display a combination of three selected symbols on the win line 6.

As shown in Fig. 2, the above mentioned plastics structure 7 of the reel is generally in the form of a drum with a central shaft 8, or mounting for a shaft, an outer cylindrical rim 9 coaxial with the axis of rotation, and a radially extending apertured web 10 joining the rim 9 to the central mounting 8.

A second cylindrical coaxial rim 11 is defined around the central region of the web 10, having the effect of stepping this central region with the mounting 8, axially inwardly. This rim 11 has gear teeth 12 moulded around its periphery.

A stepping motor 13 is mounted on a board 14 which is rotatably mounted relative to the plastics structure 7 and supports electronic components connected to the motor 13 and to an electrical edge connector 15.

The motor 13 has a pinion or toothed wheel 16 on its shaft which is engaged with the moulded teeth 12 on the inner periphery of the reel structure 7.

The reel structure 7, motor 13 and board 14 constitute an independent unit which is removably mountable within the machine. When mounted in position the connector 15 on the board is connected to a microprocessor control circuit of the machine.

In use, during play of a game the microprocessor control circuit feeds a randomly (or pseudo randomly) pre-selected number of drive pulses to the stepper motor 13 for each reel 4 to cause this to rotate through a predetermined angular displacement to select a predetermined symbol which is displayed on the win line 5 when the pulse train ceases and the reel rotation is thereby arrested.

The drive connection between the motor 13 and the toothed inner periphery 12 gives rise to a gearing effect whereby it can be ensured that rotation of the reel is efficiently and reliably effected.

Since this gearing effect is achieved with direct interconnection between the reel structure 7 and the pinion or toothed wheel 16 on the motor shaft (i.e. without interposition of any other gearing or drive connection) the unit can be manufactured and installed in the machines in a particularly simple, convenient and inexpensive manner.

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. Thus, for example, the machine may have more than three reels behind the win line. Also the invention may be applied to selector reels used for other purposes in an entertainment machine. The invention is not restricted to stepper motors.

The gearing effect between the motor pinion 16 and the toothed periphery 12 may be 3:1, although other ratios may be used.

Claims (8)

1. A reel for an entertainment machine comprising a rotatable structure and a motor drivably connected to the structure to effect rotation thereof, characterised in that the drivable connection is effected with an internal toothed periphery incorporated within the rotatable reel structure inwardly of the periphery thereof.

2. A reel according to claim 1 wherein the reel structure is a plastics moulding and the inner toothed periphery is formed integrally as part of the moulding.

3. A reel according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the motor is a stepper motor.

4. A reel according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the motor is engaged with the inner toothed periphery through a pinion or toothed wheel on the motor shaft.

5. A reel according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the reel and motor form a unit.

6. An entertainment machine incorporating a reel according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An entertainment machine according to claim 6 which is a fruit machine.

8. A reel according to claim 1 or an entertainment machine according to claim 6 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.