Apparatus and method for enhancing gambling devices with commercial advertising indicia

• US 6,540,609 B1
• Filed: 02/22/1999
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elena Launzel Paige
• Original Assignee: Elena Launzel Paige
• Inventors: Paige, Elena Launzel
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin H.
• Application Number:
  US09/253,595
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 273/143.R, 273/138.2, 463/20, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

An apparatus and method are directed to exploiting the activity of slot machine wagering for commercial advertising purposes and/or for dispensing of advertising, commercial or promotional merchandise. In the apparatus the jackpot and/or pay off symbols are replaced with an advertiser'"'"'s product identity or logo. While the casino payoffs remain unchanged, the players look for a match of product logos instead of the familiar “7-7-7” or bells or cherries. In this manner, the very act of winning is linked to the product being advertised. Additional incentives for the player as well as the casino are related to this advertising method. Commercial indicia are applied to slot machines. The method utilizes a system for tying use of the invention with accumulation of points redeemable for merchandise.

Claims

1. A gambling device for displaying commercial advertising indicia in an authorized commercially sustainable manner, comprising:

a. a random variety of gaming symbols arranged according to the gambling game, the gaming symbols comprising advertising indicia from a remote third party advertiser in said gambling device;

b. means for initiating play of said gambling game in said gambling device comprising a card reader and a gambling casino card, said card reader being for user activation of said gambling casino card for encoding machine-readable gambling user information and storing machine readable gambling data relative only to the card user'"'"'s gambling activity associated only with said gambling devices displaying said advertising.

2. The gambling device of claim 1 wherein said means for initiating play of said gambling game is an activating member.

3. The gambling device of claim 1 wherein said means for initiating play of said gambling device is a credit card receptacle.

4. The device of claim 1 further having non-gaming fascias, the fascias bearing authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia displayed thereon.

5. The device of claim 4 where the device comprises at least one prize symbol display means, the display means further comprising a plurality of randomly displayable graphic images, the images comprising authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the prize symbol display means comprises a mechanical gambling device having at least one circular reel bearing randomly displayable graphic images, the images comprising authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia.

7. The device of claim 6 having a plurality of independently rotatable reels for independent random display of the randomly displayable graphic images.

8. The device of claim 5 where all randomly displayable graphic images comprise authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia.

9. The device of claim 5 wherein the prize symbol display means comprises an electronic video display gambling device having at least one display field bearing randomly displayable graphic images, the images comprising authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia.

10. The device of claim 5 where all randomly displayable graphic images comprise authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia.

11. The device of claim 5, where some randomly displayable graphic imaged comprise authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia and some randomly displayable graphic images comprise non-advertising indicia.

12. The device of claim 5, wherein the device is a slot machine.

13. The device of claim 12 further comprising a reel covering strip installed upon the at least one reel, where the gaming display symbols are printed in random distribution on the reel strip which, in operation upon the reel of the slot machine, stops to reveal to the gambler a single prize image.

14. The device of claim 12 further having a plurality of reels, mounted in co-axial independently rotatable relationship so that randomly displayable graphic images symbols are independently displayed upon each independently rotatable reel.

15. The device of claim 5, wherein the insertion of a predetermined amount of money in said gambling device causes the accumulation of credits translatable into user winnable merchandise points exchangeable for commercial or promotional merchandise associated with the authorized commercially sustainable advertising indicia.