Amusement machine and monitoring system

• US 10,410,466 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novomatic AG
• Original Assignee: Novomatic AG
• Inventors: Korndoerfer, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US14/888,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20160078723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission

Abstract

An amusement machine including a housing for receiving a computer-controlled game process control, connected to a display device for depicting the game process, which is connected to an actuator allocated to the housing for signaling information sent by the game process control. Wherein the signals of the actuator designed as an infrared light diode can be perceived by a monitoring device designed as a monitoring camera.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for an amusement machine having an enclosure, the monitoring system comprising:

a security camera;

an image analysis unit; and

a computer-controlled play control unit, wherein the play control unit is connected to a display device for displaying a game play, at least one actuator allocated to the enclosure and which is configured to output signal information sent by the play control unit,

wherein signals from said actuator, which is embodied as an infrared light emitting diode are detected by the security camera, and the play control unit is configured to drive the infrared light emitting diode such that coding configured to signal a plurality of different machine states is provided, and wherein the image analysis unit analyzes an image, which is detected by the security camera, for the presence of a signal from the infrared light emitting diode, and detects and processes the signal from the infrared light emitting diode which determines a machine state.

2. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one actuator comprises a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes, which are arranged in an array and configured to be driven individually.

3. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one mask is assigned to the infrared light emitting diodes in order to provide a 7-segment display.

4. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared light emitting diode indicates at least a maximum contents level or minimum contents level of a cash box and/or of a payout unit and/or a cluster of certain games and/or a defined keystroke and/or a specific touchscreen operation and/or a status of a money processing unit and/or a contents level of a ticket store and/or a contents level of a ticket printer and/or a fault with these units.

5. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a machine door of the amusement machine is allocated a switch (28) for detecting the closure state of the machine door, and/or the enclosure is allocated a vibration sensor, which switch and/or vibration sensor is connected to the play control unit, and the play control unit indicates a signal change by driving the at least one infrared light emitting diode suitably.

6. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared light emitting diode is configured to be driven such that coding is provided by the light intensity and/or light frequency of said light emitting diode.

7. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared light emitting diode is mounted on the amusement machine such that it is concealed by a cover plate.

8. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one infrared light emitting diode is assigned to a mount that is fixed to the enclosure such that its orientation can be adjusted.

9. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring system further comprises a screen coupled to the security camera.

10. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the security camera and the screen are parts of a mobile device or are separate components.

11. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the monitoring system further comprises a processor and an alarm unit, wherein the image analysis unit analyzes the image, which is detected by the security camera and transmitted to the processor, for the presence of a signal from the at least one infrared light emitting diode, and when a signal is identified, the processor actuates the alarm unit that is configured to be discerned by surveillance personnel.

12. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 11, wherein a memory unit connected to the security camera and/or to the processor stores image data from the security camera.

13. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the memory unit stores the image data with an allocated time stamp, wherein a timer is assigned to the security camera and/or to the processor.

14. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the alarm unit is actuated and/or the image data is stored on the basis of a change in the signal from the at least one infrared light emitting diode, which change is ascertained by analysis means of the processor, said analysis means being in the form of a hardware circuit or a software module.

15. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the alarm unit comprises a personal information device.

16. A monitoring system for an amusement machine having an enclosure, the monitoring system comprising:

a security camera;

an image analysis unit; and

a computer-controlled play control unit, wherein the play control unit is connected to a display device for displaying a game play, at least one actuator allocated to the enclosure and which is configured to output signal information sent by the play control unit,

wherein signals from said actuator, which is embodied as an infrared light emitting diode are detected by the security camera, and the play control unit is configured to drive the infrared light emitting diode to signal a plurality of different machine states, wherein the image analysis unit analyzes an image, which is detected by the security camera, for the presence of a signal from the infrared light emitting diode, and detects and processes the signal from the infrared light emitting diode, and wherein the at least one infrared light emitting diode indicates one or more machine states selected from a list comprising;

a maximum contents level or minimum contents level of a cash box, a payout unit, a cluster of certain games, a defined keystroke, a specific touchscreen operation, a status of a money processing unit, a contents level of a ticket store, a contents level of a ticket printer, and a fault with the money processing unit, ticket store, or ticket printer units.

17. A monitoring system for an amusement machine having an enclosure, the monitoring system comprising:

a security camera;

an image analysis unit; and

a computer-controlled play control unit, wherein the play control unit is connected to a display device for displaying a game play, at least one actuator allocated to the enclosure and which is configured to output signal information sent by the play control unit,

wherein signals from said actuator, which is embodied as an infrared light emitting diode are detected by the security camera, and the play control unit is configured to drive the infrared light emitting diode to signal a plurality of different machine states, wherein the image analysis unit analyzes an image, which is detected by the security camera, for the presence of a signal from the infrared light emitting diode, and detects and processes the signal from the infrared light emitting diode, and wherein the amusement machine includes at least one of;

a switch connected to the play control unit for detecting the closure state of a machine door of the amusement machine, and a vibration sensor attached to the enclosure and connected to the play control unit; and

wherein the play control unit indicates a signal change by driving the at least one infrared light emitting diode.

18. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one infrared light emitting diode is configured to be driven such that coding is provided by the light intensity and/or light frequency of said light emitting diode.