UNIVERSAL REEL BACKLIGHT FOR REEL-TYPE GAMING MACHINES

• US 20120120632A1
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Games Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Multimedia Games Incorporated
• Inventors: Malik, Furqaan
• Granted Patent: US 9,004,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/97.1
• 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

A reel backlight structure for a mechanical reel-type game includes an undifferentiated array of LED backlights. The rows of LEDs are closely spaced apart and may extend over an arc that encompasses both three vertical stop positions and four vertical stop positions. The LEDs are mounted on a flexible substrate that may be bent to match the radius of a reel strip and held in the desired radius with mounting attachment points.

Claims

1. A backlight structure for a mechanical reel-type gaming machine, the backlight structure including:

a board substrate, the board substrate being flexible along a longitudinal axis thereof to allow the board substrate to assume any one of a number of mechanical reel radii;

a number of attachment openings located at a periphery of the board substrate; and

a number of rows of LEDs extending transverse to a longitudinal axis of the board substrate.

2. The backlight structure of claim 1 including twenty-four evenly spaced apart rows of LEDs.

3. The backlight structure of claim 1 further including a connector area at one longitudinal end of the board substrate, the connector area including two or more additional attachment openings.

4. The backlight structure of claim 3 wherein the connector area has a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate that is less than the dimension of the remainder of the board substrate in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate.

5. The backlight structure of claim 1 wherein the LEDs in adjacent rows are staggered by the length of approximately one LED along the axis of the respective row

6. A backlight assembly for backlighting a mechanical reel-type game, the backlight assembly including:

a board substrate, the board substrate being flexible along a longitudinal axis thereof;

four attachment openings, each attachment opening located at a periphery of the board substrate;

a number of rows of LEDs extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate; and

a mounting bracket having a respective mounting stand-off operable to align with a respective one of the attachment openings and form an attachment therewith so that the board substrate assumes a desired radius.

7. The backlight assembly of claim 6 including twenty-four evenly spaced apart rows of LEDs.

8. The backlight assembly of claim 6 further including a connector area at one longitudinal end of the board substrate, the connector area including two or more additional attachment openings, each attachment opening corresponding to and forming an attachment with an additional mounting stand-off.

9. The backlight structure of claim 8 wherein the connector area has a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate that is less than the dimension of the remainder of the board substrate in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate.

10. The backlight structure of claim 8 wherein the connector area of the board substrate extends at an angle to the remainder of the board substrate when the board substrate is attached to the mounting bracket at the mounting stand-offs and additional mounting standoffs.

11. The backlight structure of claim 6 wherein the LEDs in adjacent rows are staggered by the length of approximately one LED along the axis of the respective row.