Roulette board and method for controlling the same

• US 7,815,187 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Yokota, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US11/431,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 463/22, 273/142.E
• US Class Current: 273/142.00E
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/009 pneumatic
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/00 Roulette games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/0082 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games

Abstract

A roulette board includes: a roulette wheel on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a circumferential direction of the roulette wheel; a plurality of ball reception portions that are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the symbols, the ball reception portions being configured to receive a ball that rolls on the roulette wheel; a banked passage that is endlessly provided along an outer circumference of the roulette wheel, and allows the ball to roll in a circumferential orbit; and a ball discharging mechanism that is provided with a ball discharging member and discharges the ball received in one of the ball reception portions toward the banked passage by bringing the ball discharging member into contact with the ball.

Claims

1. A roulette board comprising:

a roulette wheel on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a circumferential direction of the roulette wheel;

a plurality of ball reception portions that are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the symbols, the ball reception portions being configured to receive a ball that rolls on the roulette wheel;

a banked passage that is endlessly provided along an outer circumference of the roulette wheel, and allows the ball to roll in a circumferential orbit; and

a ball discharging mechanism that is provided with a ball discharging member and discharges the ball received in one of the ball reception portions toward the banked passage by bringing the ball discharging member into contact with the ball,

wherein the ball discharging member comprises a discharging rod,

wherein the roulette wheel comprises a fixed center section that includes the ball discharging mechanism,

wherein each of the ball reception portions is provided with a through hole that allows the ball discharging member to project therethrough for contacting with the ball,

wherein the through hole in each of the ball reception portions is made in an inner wall, and

wherein the inner wall forms each of the ball reception portions.

2. The roulette board according to claim 1, wherein the roulette wheel further comprises:

a rotating circumferential section that surrounds the fixed center section, the rotating circumferential section being provided with the symbols and the ball reception portions; and

a support member that supports the rotating circumferential section to be rotatable with respect to the fixed center section,

wherein the roulette wheel houses the ball discharging mechanism.

3. The roulette board according to claim 2, further comprising a drive unit that rotates the rotating circumferential section with respect to the fixed center section.

4. The roulette board according to claim 3, further comprising:

a ball detection unit that detects a received ball reception portion from among the ball reception portions, the received ball reception portion receiving the ball therein; and

a controller that controls the drive unit to rotate the rotating circumferential section so that the received ball reception portion locates at a position where the ball discharging member is contactable with the ball received in the received ball reception portion.

5. The roulette board according to claim 3, further comprising:

a ball detection unit that detects a received ball reception portion from among the ball reception portions, the received ball reception portion receiving the ball therein;

a movement mechanism that moves a position of the ball discharging mechanism; and

a controller that controls the movement mechanism to move the position of the ball discharging mechanism so that the ball discharging mechanism locates at a position where the ball discharging member is contactable with the ball received in the received ball reception portion.

6. The roulette board according to claim 1, wherein the ball discharging mechanism further comprises:

a solenoid that drives the discharging rod; and

a power supply unit that supplies power to the solenoid, and

wherein the discharging rod is adapted to be projectable into the ball reception portions at one end thereof.

7. The roulette board according to claim 1, wherein the ball discharging mechanism is disposed underneath the roulette wheel.

8. The roulette board according to claim 7, further comprising a ball detection unit that detects a received ball reception portion from among the ball reception portions, the received ball reception portion receiving the ball therein,

wherein the ball detection unit includes at least one optical sensor that detects the ball based on a light received through the through hole.

9. The roulette board according to claim 8, wherein the ball detection unit includes a plurality of the optical sensors.

10. The roulette board according to claim 8, wherein the optical sensor emits an infrared light through the through hole, and detects the ball when an infrared light reflected by the ball is received through the through hole.

11. The roulette board according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle that ejects air into the banked passage to roll the ball.

12. The roulette board according to claim 1, wherein the ball discharging mechanism further comprises a spring that is adapted to push the discharging rod in a direction away from contacting with the ball.

13. The roulette board according to claim 1, wherein if a power is supplied to the ball discharging mechanism, the discharging rod is adapted to pass through the through hole to collide with the ball.

14. The roulette board according to claim 1, wherein the ball discharging mechanism further comprises a plunger and a coil, wherein if a power is supplied to the ball discharging mechanism, the plunger is attracted to the coil so that the plunger moves the discharging rod to collide with the ball.

15. The roulette board according to claim 11, wherein the nozzle is located at a peripheral portion of the rotating circumferential section.

16. A method for controlling a roulette board, wherein the roulette board comprises:

a roulette wheel on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a circumferential direction of the roulette wheel;

a plurality of ball reception portions that are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the symbols, the ball reception portions being configured to receive a ball that rolls on the roulette wheel;

a banked passage that is endlessly provided along an outer circumference of the roulette wheel, and allows the ball to roll in a circumferential orbit; and

a ball discharging mechanism that is provided with a ball discharging member and discharges the ball received in one of the ball reception portions toward the banked passage by bringing the ball discharging member into contact with the ball,

wherein the roulette wheel comprises;

a fixed center section that is provided with the ball discharging mechanism;

a rotating circumferential section that surrounds the fixed center section, the rotating circumferential section being provided with the symbols and the ball reception portions; and

a support member that supports the rotating circumferential section to be rotatable with respect to the fixed center section, and

wherein the roulette board further comprising a drive unit that rotates the rotating circumferential section with respect to the fixed center section,

the method comprising;

receiving the ball in one of the ball reception portions after rolling the ball on the roulette wheel for a predetermined time period;

detecting a received ball reception portion from among the ball reception portions, the received ball reception portion receiving the ball therein;

controlling the drive unit to rotate the rotating circumferential section so that the received ball reception portion locates at a position where the ball discharging member is contactable with the ball received in the received ball reception portion; and

discharging the ball received in the received ball reception portion toward the banked passage with the ball discharging mechanism,

wherein the ball discharging member comprises a discharging rod,

wherein each of the ball reception portions is provided with a through hole that allows the ball discharging member to project therethrough for contacting with the ball,

wherein the through hole in each of the ball reception portions is made in an inner wall, and

wherein the inner wall forms each of the ball reception portions.

17. A roulette board controlling method, comprising:

rotating a rotating circumferential section of a roulette wheel with respect to a fixed center section of the roulette wheel;

rolling a ball on the roulette wheel for a predetermined time period;

receiving a ball in one of a plurality of ball reception sections;

detecting the received ball in said one of the plurality of ball reception sections, wherein the received ball is in contact with a ball discharging member; and

discharging the received ball toward a banked passage of the roulette wheel,

wherein the ball discharging member comprises a discharging rod,

wherein the roulette wheel comprises a fixed center section that includes the ball discharging mechanism,

wherein each of the ball reception sections is provided with a through hole that allows the ball discharging member to project therethrough for contacting with the ball,

wherein the through hole in each of the ball reception sections is made in an inner wall, and

wherein the inner wall forms each of the ball reception sections.

18. The roulette board controlling method according to claim 17, further comprising pushing the discharging rod in a direction away from contacting with the received ball before discharging the received ball toward the ball discharging member.

19. The roulette board controlling method according to claim 17, further comprising supplying a power to a ball discharging mechanism, wherein if the power is supplied to the ball discharging mechanism, the discharging rod is adapted to pass through the through hole to collide with the received ball.

20. The roulette board controlling method according to claim 17, further comprising supplying a power to a ball discharging mechanism, wherein if the power is supplied to the ball discharging mechanism, a plunger is attracted to the coil so that the plunger moves the discharging rod to collide with the ball.