Gaming machine

• US 20040147303A1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Omomo, Shingo, Imura, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,337,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means

Abstract

With liquid crystal provided in front of reels, a gaming machine includes reels 3 having symbol placement faces shaped like curved surfaces on which a plurality of symbols are placed for variably displaying of a plurality of symbol rows each made up of the plurality of symbols, liquid crystal 504 being provided in front of and opposed to the reels 3 for displaying the symbols through a flat symbol transmission face and also displaying an image concerning game play, reel backlights 513 for illuminating the symbols, and reel side reflectors 320 being provided on a side of the reels 3 for covering an area sandwiched between the symbol placement face and the symbol transmission face on a face on the side of the reels 3 for assisting image display of the liquid crystal 504.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

variable display means configured to variably display a plurality of symbol rows each having a symbol placement face formed in a curved surface on which a plurality of symbols are placed;

image display means being provided in front of and opposed to the variable display means and configured to display the symbols through a flat symbol transmission face and to display an image concerning a game;

symbol illumination means configured to illuminate the symbols; and

image display assistance means being provided on a side of the variable display means to cover an area sandwiched between the symbol placement face and the symbol transmission face on a face on the side of the variable display means, and configured to assist image display of the image display means.

3. The gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the symbol illumination means comprises a rear illumination lamp configured to illuminate the symbols from behind the symbols, and

wherein the image display assistance means reflects light emitted from the rear illumination lamp.

4. The gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the symbol illumination means comprises a front illumination lamp configured to illuminate the symbols from a slanting direction of the front of the symbols, and

wherein the image display assistance means reflects light emitted from the front illumination lamp.

5. The gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display assistance means is attached to a housing that houses the variable display means.

6. The gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display assistance means comprises a white plate.

7. The gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display assistance means comprises a mirror plate.

2. A gaming machine comprising:

variable display means configured to variably display a plurality of symbol rows on which a plurality of symbols are placed;

image display means being provided in front of the variable display means and configured to display an image concerning a game;

symbol illumination means configured to illuminate the symbols; and

image display assistance means being provided on a side of the variable display means and configured to reflect light emitted from the symbol illumination means and to assist image display of the image display means.

8. A gaming machine comprising:

a variable display means configured to variably display a plurality of symbol rows on which a plurality of symbols are placed;

image display means being provided in front of the variable display means and configured to display an image concerning a game; and

side illumination means being provided on a side of the variable display means and configured to illuminate the symbols from a side of the symbols.