Gaming machine reel alignment
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling a plurality of reels of an electromechanical wager-based gaming machine comprising:
- selecting a reference reel from among the plurality of reels;
determining an offset between the final reel position of the reference reel and the final reel position of each other reel;
spinning the plurality of reels, the reference reel spun according to a predetermined profile, the predetermined profile selected to stop the selected reel at its final position;
sensing positions of each of the plurality of reels during spinning; and
adjusting reel speeds of each of the other reels relative to the reference reel to align the other reels with the reference reel according to their determined offsets from the reference reel such that the position of each other reel with respect to the reference reel is equal to the determined offset and such that the other reels stop at the same time as the reference reel.
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Abstract
An electromechanical wager-based gaming machine includes a plurality of reels that are aligned as they are spun so that the reels can be rapidly stopped in response to a player'"'"'s input. One reel is selected as a reference reel and other reels are brought into alignment using feedback from reel position sensors.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a plurality of reels of an electromechanical wager-based gaming machine comprising:
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selecting a reference reel from among the plurality of reels; determining an offset between the final reel position of the reference reel and the final reel position of each other reel; spinning the plurality of reels, the reference reel spun according to a predetermined profile, the predetermined profile selected to stop the selected reel at its final position; sensing positions of each of the plurality of reels during spinning; and adjusting reel speeds of each of the other reels relative to the reference reel to align the other reels with the reference reel according to their determined offsets from the reference reel such that the position of each other reel with respect to the reference reel is equal to the determined offset and such that the other reels stop at the same time as the reference reel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An electromechanical wager-based gaming machine comprising:
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a plurality of reels, including a reference reel and subordinate reels, that are rotated by a plurality of motors; a plurality of sensors that sense positions of the reels as the reels are rotated; a motor control system that receives inputs from the plurality of sensors and provides outputs that control the plurality of motors to; align the subordinate reels with the reference reel while the reels are rotating by adjusting speeds of the subordinate reels according to measured positional differences between the subordinate reels and the reference reel as indicated by the plurality of position sensors, and stop the reels in a predetermined stopping pattern; and a memory that is communicatively connected to the motor control system, the memory storing the predetermined stopping pattern and one or more alternative stopping patterns. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of controlling a plurality of reels of an electromechanical wager-based gaming machine comprising:
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selecting a reference reel from among the plurality of reels; determining an offset between the final reel position of the reference reel and the final reel position of each other reel; spinning the plurality of reels, the reference reel spun according to a predetermined profile, the predetermined profile selected to stop the selected reel at its final position; sensing positions of each of the plurality of reels during spinning; and adjusting reel speeds of each of the other reels relative to the reference reel to align the other reels with the reference reel such that each other reel'"'"'s position relative to the reference reel after alignment is equal to the determined offset for the other reel plus an additional offset, the additional offsets providing a time delay between when the reference reel stops and when the other reel stops, wherein the time delays result in the reels stopping according to a predetermined pattern. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification