Roulette apparatus with ball-delivery system, and method

• US 7,926,810 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CG Technology L.P. (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: Cantor G&W LP (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Langtim, Melissa S., Fisher, Donald, Foote, Stephen, Garmann, Darlene Marie, Krich, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US11/711,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 273/274, 273/142.E, 273/142.F, 273/142.G, 273/142.R, 463/17
• US Class Current: 273/274
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00132 specially adapted for teaching music
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/247 audible, e.g. using a loudspeaker
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/0088 with a plurality of balls used during one game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/02 Roulette-like ball games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0098 Word or number games A63F3/0415, A63F3/0421, A63F3/0423 take precedence

Abstract

A roulette apparatus enables and enhances roulette gaming. The roulette apparatus comprises a roulette wheel assembly, a ball-delivery tower, ball-conducting conduit, and disguised wheel monitoring equipment. The ball-delivery tower comprises a tower support portion and a tower arm. The tower arm may enclose and partially disguise the wheel-monitoring equipment. The tower support portion provides a certain vertical dimension for maximizing roulette ball potential energy. The ball-conducting conduit extends intermediate a ball inlet and a ball outlet. The ball outlet is positioned for outletting the roulette ball upon an upper wheel surface of the roulette wheel assembly. The tower and the ball-conducting conduit convert roulette ball potential energy to roulette ball kinetic energy and further function to effect a self-launching roulette ball for enhancing the roulette gaming experience.

Claims

1. A roulette apparatus, the roulette apparatus for enabling and enhancing roulette gaming, the roulette apparatus comprising:

a roulette wheel assembly, the roulette wheel assembly comprising a roulette wheel, the roulette wheel comprising a ball-receiving upper wheel surface;

a ball-delivery tower, the ball delivery tower comprising a tower support portion, the tower support portion having a vertical tower dimension; and

ball-delivery means, the ball-delivery means for delivering a roulette ball to the upper wheel surface, the ball-delivery means comprising a ball inlet, a ball outlet, and ball-conducting conduit intermediate the ball inlet and ball outlet, the ball-conducting conduit comprising a peak portion, the vertical tower dimension supporting the peak portion, the ball outlet being positioned for outletting the roulette ball upon the upper wheel surface, the peak portion for imparting maximum ball potential energy, the maximized ball potential energy being convertible to ball kinetic energy for imparting final ball kinetic energy to a conduit-conducted roulette ball, the roulette apparatus thus for enabling and enhancing roulette gaming;

wherein the ball-conducting conduit comprises cooperable ball-sensing and conduit-illumination means, the ball-sensing means for sensing the motion of a conduit-conducting roulette ball and actuating the conduit-illumination means, the conduit-illumination means for illuminating the ball-conducting conduit as the conduit-conducting roulette ball passes therethrough.

2. The roulette apparatus of claim 1 comprising wheel-monitoring means, the wheel-monitoring means for capturing and relaying video imagery of the upper wheel surface to peripheral video display means, the peripheral video display means for enabling players to view video imagery of roulette gaming.

3. The roulette apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper wheel surface comprises ball-supporting sectors, the ball-supporting sectors bearing select colorization, the select colorization being selected from the color group consisting of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

4. The roulette apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ball-supporting sectors bear meaningful symbolic indicia.

5. The roulette apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ball inlet comprises ball-accelerating means, the ball-accelerating means for imparting initial kinetic energy to a deliverable roulette ball, the initial kinetic energy for conducting the deliverable roulette ball away from the ball inlet via the ball-conducting conduit.

6. The roulette apparatus of claim 5 wherein the ball inlet comprises a ball magazine, the ball magazine for housing a plurality of magazine-deliverable roulette balls, the magazine-deliverable roulette balls being deliverable to the ball inlet and thereby being made subject to the ball-accelerating means.

7. The roulette apparatus of claim 6 wherein the ball magazine is cooperable with periodic, self-governing ball-accelerating means, the periodic, self-governing ball-accelerating means for effecting a periodic series of self-launching roulette balls.

8. The roulette apparatus of claim 5 wherein the ball-accelerating means are defined by a ball-collider, the ball-collider being spring-actuable for imparting a ball-accelerating impulse to the deliverable roulette ball, the impulse providing sufficient kinetic energy to drive the deliverable roulette ball to the peak portion.

9. The roulette apparatus of claim 5 wherein the ball-accelerating means are defined by pressure-reduction means, the pressure-reduction means for reducing pressure adjacent the deliverable roulette ball via the ball-conducting conduit, the reduced pressure for forcefully driving the deliverable roulette ball to the peak portion.

10. The roulette apparatus of claim 1 wherein the conduit-illumination means emit light having varied wavelengths, the varied wavelengths for visually enhancing roulette gaming.

11. The roulette apparatus of claim 1 comprising tower-disguising means, the tower-disguising means for concealing the ball-delivery tower.

12. The roulette apparatus of claim 11 wherein the tower-disguising means comprises a monitor-enabling window cooperable with wheel-monitoring means for enabling players to view video imagery of roulette gaming.

13. A roulette apparatus, the roulette apparatus for enabling and enhancing roulette gaming, the roulette apparatus comprising:

a roulette wheel assembly, the roulette wheel assembly comprising a roulette wheel, the roulette wheel comprising an upper wheel surface; and

ball-delivery means, the ball-delivery means for delivering a roulette ball to the upper wheel surface, the ball-delivery means comprising ball-conducting conduit, the ball-conducting conduit comprising a peak portion, the peak portion for imparting maximum ball potential energy, the maximized ball potential energy being convertible for maximizing ball kinetic energy intermediate the peak portion and the upper wheel surface;

wherein the ball-conducting conduit comprises cooperable ball-sensing and conduit-illumination means, the ball-sensing means for sensing the position of a conduit-conducting roulette ball and actuating the conduit-illumination means, the conduit-illumination means for illuminating the ball-conducting conduit in sync with the conduit-conducting roulette ball.

14. The roulette apparatus of claim 13 comprising a ball-delivery tower, the ball-deliver tower for vertically supporting the peak portion.

15. The roulette apparatus of claim 14 wherein the ball-delivery tower comprises wheel-monitoring means, the wheel-monitoring means for capturing and relaying video imagery of the upper wheel surface to peripheral video display means.

16. The roulette apparatus of claim 13 wherein the ball-delivery means function to simultaneously deliver a plurality of roulette balls to the upper wheel surface.

17. The roulette apparatus of claim 13 wherein the ball-conducting conduit comprises ball-accelerating means, the ball-accelerating means for imparting kinetic energy to a deliverable roulette ball, the impartable kinetic energy for conducting the deliverable roulette ball through the ball-conducting conduit.

18. The roulette apparatus of claim 17 comprising a ball magazine cooperable with the ball-conducting conduit, the ball magazine for housing a plurality of magazine-deliverable roulette balls, the magazine-deliverable roulette balls being deliverable to the ball-conducting conduit for receiving the impartable kinetic energy.

19. The roulette apparatus of claim 18 wherein the ball magazine is cooperable with periodic, self-governing ball-accelerating means, the periodic, self-governing ball-accelerating means for effecting a periodic series of self-launching roulette balls.

20. The roulette apparatus of claim 17 wherein the ball-accelerating means are defined by ball-collision means, the ball-collision means for imparting a ball-accelerating impulse to the deliverable roulette ball via substantially elastic collisions therewith, the ball-accelerating impulses providing sufficient kinetic energy to conduct deliverable roulette balls through the ball-conducting conduit.

21. The roulette apparatus of claim 17 wherein the ball-accelerating means are defined by pressure-reduction means, the pressure-reduction means for reducing pressure adjacent a deliverable roulette ball via the ball-conducting conduit, the reduced pressure for conducting the deliverable roulette ball through the ball-conducting conduit.

22. The roulette apparatus of claim 13 comprising tower-disguising means, the tower-disguising means for concealing the ball-conducting conduit.

23. The roulette apparatus of claim 13 comprising tower-disguising means, the tower-disguising means for concealing the ball-conducting conduit and wheel-monitoring means.

24. A roulette apparatus, the roulette apparatus for enabling and enhancing roulette gaming, the roulette apparatus comprising:

a roulette wheel assembly, the roulette wheel assembly comprising a roulette wheel; and

means for effecting a self-launching roulette ball, said means comprising ball-conducting conduit, the ball-conducting conduit for converting a potentially energetic roulette ball to a kinetically energetic roulette ball and for outletting the kinetically energetic roulette ball upon the roulette wheel;

wherein the ball-conducting conduit comprises cooperable ball-sensing and conduit-illumination means, the ball-sensing means for sensing the position of a conduit-conducting roulette ball and actuating the conduit-illumination means, the conduit-illumination means for illuminating the ball-conducting conduit in sync with the conduit-conducting roulette ball.

25. The roulette apparatus of claim 24 wherein the means for effecting a self-launching roulette ball comprises means for concealing the kinetically energetic roulette ball from a player'"'"'s perspective, the means for concealing the kinetically energetic roulette ball for enhancing a self-launching roulette ball effect.

26. The roulette apparatus of claim 24 comprising a ball magazine cooperable with the ball-conducting conduit, the ball magazine for housing a plurality of magazine-deliverable roulette balls, the magazine-deliverable roulette balls being periodically deliverable to the ball-conducting conduit.

27. The roulette apparatus of claim 26 wherein the ball magazine is cooperable with periodic, self-governing ball-accelerating means, the periodic, self-governing ball-accelerating means for effecting a periodic series of self-launching roulette balls.