Slot machine

• US 4,198,052 A
• Filed: 09/27/1978
• Issued: 04/15/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ADP-Automaten GmbH
• Original Assignee: ADP-Automaten GmbH
• Inventors: Gauselmann, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kramer, Arnold W.
• Application Number:
  US05/946,332
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 273/143 R, 273/143 A, 273/143 B, 273/143 C, 273/143 D, 273/143 E, 273/142 H, 273/142 HA, 273/138 A, 273/138 R, 273/1 R, 273/1 T, 273/1 U, 35/74, 35/77, 35/2, 35/3, 35/4, 235/1 C, 194/DIG. 11, 40/111, 40/114, 40/503, 40/504, 40/504, 340/378.1, 340/378.3, 340/378.5, 340/809, 340/810, 340/324 B, 340/324 S, 340/753, 340/754, 340/525, 340/286 M
• US Class Current: 273/143.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A slot machine with at least three coaxially disposed wheels having a plurality of playing symbols on the peripheries thereof, wherein a plurality of columns of windows, one column for each window, are disposed in front of the wheels to enable viewing of a preselected number of symbols of each wheel and to define a plurality of win-lines for play of the slot machine. The windows of the plural columns are disposed in a triangular configuration, with one end window column permitting viewing of only one symbol and with window columns of adjacent wheels revealing greater numbers of symbols in direct proportion to the distance from the one end column, the wheel associated with the one end window column being the last to stop rotating during play of the slot machine.

Claims

1. In a slot machine having at least three wheels disposed coaxially in side-by-side arrangement, wherein each wheel is provided with a plurality of symbols around the peripheries thereof such that with said wheels in prescribed rest positions said symbols define the results of play, said slot machine having a housing essentially enclosing said wheels, said housing having a plurality of windows through which at least one symbol of each wheel is visible, the improvement comprising:

said windows disposed in a plurality of columns, each dedicated to a single wheel, to define a triangular configuration wherein one end window column enables viewing of only a single symbol of the wheel associated with said one end window column, and wherein the number of visible symbols of successive window columns increases in proportion to the relative disposition of each wheel with respect to said one end window column, with the other end window column enabling viewing of the greatest number of said symbols on the wheel associated therewith.

2. A slot machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

said window column for said one end wheel comprising a single window for permitting viewing of a single symbol on the periphery of said one end wheel;

said window column for a second wheel immediately adjacent said one end wheel comprising two windows for permitting viewing of two symbols on the periphery of said next wheel; and

,

said window column of a third wheel immediately adjacent said second wheel comprising three windows for permitting viewing of three symbols on the periphery of said third wheel.

3. A slot machine according to claim 2, wherein the windows of said window columns are comparably dimensioned, further comprising:

windows of adjacent window columns shifted approximately one half a window height relative to windows of the adjacent window columns.

4. A slot machine according to claim 1, wherein after initiation of a play the wheels come to a stop in succession, further comprising:

said triangular configuration of the plurality of windows converges to a single window over the last wheel to stop.

5. A slot according to claims 2 or 4, further comprising:

a plurality of windows forming a right-angled triangle, in which the windows of adjacent wheels are aligned in a plurality of rows.

6. A slot machine according to claim 1 wherein said wheels are vertically coaxially disposed side-by-side along a vertical axis.