Extendable display for a gaming machine

• US 7,513,830 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hajder, Peter, Tastad, Gregory J., Rothschild, Wayne H., Greenberg, Jacob C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling, II; John M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hylinski; Steven J.
• Application Number:
  US10/864,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20050277477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 361/600, 361681-683, 361721-727, 248917-923, 463/46
• US Class Current: 463/46
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/917 Video display screen support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/918 Ancillary device support associated with a video display screen
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/919 Adjustably orientable video screen support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/92 Angular and linear video display screen support adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/922 Angular
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/923 Tilting

Abstract

The present invention relates to gaming machine cabinets and to the use of extendable displays to allow viewing and operation of the video display with the game machine cabinet door open. Many gaming machines, in particular those with flat-panel displays, have the flat-panel display mounted in the gaming cabinet door itself. When the door is opened, the display is no longer visible to technicians as they work on the interior components of the gaming machine. To solve this problem, the video display is pivotally mounted in the cabinet door to allow the video display to be released and rotated into a position viewable by the technician with the gaming cabinet door open.

Claims

1. A gaming machine, comprising:

a cabinet;

a cabinet door mounted to the cabinet, the cabinet door having a closed position and an open position, the cabinet door having an exterior side and an interior side; and

a video display mounted to the cabinet door, the video display having a first position substantially flush with the cabinet door to allow unobstructed viewing of the video display from the exterior side of the cabinet door with the cabinet door in the closed position, a second position substantially flush with the cabinet door with an obstructed view of the video display from the interior side of the cabinet door with the cabinet door in the open position, and a third position to allow unobstructed viewing of the video display from the interior side of the cabinet door with the cabinet door in the open position.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the video display is further operable from the third position to be rotationally translated away from the cabinet door in the open position.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2, wherein the video display is attached to the cabinet door with a pivot mechanism to allow rotational translation of the video display from the second position to the third position.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising a retainer to selectively affix the video display in the first position.

5. The gaming machine of claim 3, further including an extension mechanism mounted between the pivot mechanism and the video display to allow the video display to be linearly translated away from the cabinet door.

6. The game machine of claim 1, wherein the video display is selected from the group of a flat-panel display, a LED display, and a LCD display.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming cabinet is a slant-type gaming machine.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, further including a touch screen in operable association with the video display.

12. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising a shock, the shock connecting the cabinet door to the cabinet, the shock having an internal locking mechanism for holding the cabinet door in the open position, the locking mechanism selectively engageable when the shock is extended from the closed position to the open position.

13. The gaming machine of claim 12, wherein the shock further includes a release mechanism, the release mechanism for disengaging the locking mechanism when the cabinet door is depressed and released.

14. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a pull arm housing attached to the exterior of the cabinet, the pull arm housing containing the pull arm assembly; and

a pull arm rotateably connected to the pull arm assembly for activating the gaming machine, the pull arm assembly for converting the rotational displacement of the pull arm to an electrical signal to activate the gaming machine.

9. A method of performing maintenance on a gaming machine, comprising:

opening a cabinet door of the gaming machine, the cabinet door having an open and a closed position, the cabinet door further having an exterior and an interior side, the cabinet door having a pivotally mounted video display, the video display substantially flush with the cabinet door to enable the video display to have an unobstructed view from the exterior side of the cabinet door in the closed position and an obstructed view from the interior side of the cabinet door in the open position; and

rotating the video display away from the cabinet door in the open position to allow the video display to have an unobstructed view from the interior side of the cabinet door.

10. The method of claim 9, further including linearly translating the video display away from the cabinet door.

11. The method of claim 9, further including:

affixing selectively the video display to the cabinet door; and

releasing the video display prior to rotating the video display.