Gaming machine having flexible mount for tower light

• US 9,240,097 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cornell, Bradley D., Vega, Miguel A., Oatman, James E., Cervantes, Jesus O. Jr., Kopriva, Kristopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, BRANDON RAMON
• Application Number:
  US13/835,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/31, 463/32, 463/40
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

A gaming machine includes a cabinet having a topbox frame attached thereto and facing a player position in front of the gaming machine, and one or more display devices within the cabinet and configured to display a wagering game. The gaming machine further includes a tower light for indicating a status condition, and a conduit for mounting the tower light to the topbox frame. The conduit has a fixed end attached to the topbox frame and an adjustable end attached to the tower light. The adjustable end is movable to different positions to provide a line of sight for viewing the tower light.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a cabinet having a topbox frame attached thereto;

one or more display devices within the cabinet and configured to display a wagering game;

a tower light having a status indicator for indicating a status condition of the gaming machine to an observation point external to the gaming machine; and

a conduit mounting the tower light to the topbox frame, the conduit having a fixed end attached to the topbox frame and an adjustable end attached to the tower light, the adjustable end being movable to different positions to provide a line of sight for viewing the tower light, the conduit being in the form of a flexibly positionable shaft with one or more illuminated areas near the adjustable end, the one or more illuminated areas receiving light from a light source located internally in the topbox frame.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the conduit includes a formable element between the fixed end and the adjustable end, the formable element being bendable by a user to the different positions, the formable element retaining its shape in each of the different positions.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the fixed end includes a bottom coupler fastened to a top exterior surface of the topbox frame, the conduit being electrically coupled to a cable fastened to a top interior surface of the topbox frame, the adjustable end including a top coupler fastened to the tower light.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the conduit is a cylindrical tube with the adjustable end being offset from the fixed end along a center axis, the fixed end being fastened to the topbox frame via a collar base with radial slots for multiple tower light positions, the adjustable end being movable to the different positions by adjustably moving the radial slots.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the conduit includes telescoping members movable relative to each other, the adjustable end being movable to the different positions by adjustably moving the telescoping members relative to each other.

6. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein the telescoping members are locked relative to each other with a ball locking feature.

7. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein the telescoping members are locked relative to each other with a twist collar.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the different positions include an obscured position and a viewable position, the adjustable end automatically moving between the obscured position and the viewable position in response to a predetermined condition.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the conduit includes one or more universal joints with multiple degrees of freedom.

10. The gaming machine of claim 9, wherein a first universal joint is located at the fixed end and a second universal joint is located near the adjustable end.

11. A gaming system comprising:

an observation position; and

a gaming machine including

a cabinet frame facing a player position in front of the gaming machine,

one or more display devices within the cabinet and configured to display a wagering game,

a conduit having a first end mounted to the cabinet and a second end adjustable between a plurality of different positions including a first position and a second position, the first position being obscured from view relative to the observation position, the second position being viewable relative to the observation position, the conduit being in the form of a flexibly positionable shaft with one or more illuminated areas near the adjustable end, the one or more illuminated areas receiving light from a light source located internally in the topbox frame, and

a tower light mounted to the second end of the conduit and having a status indicator for indicating a status condition of the gaming machine to an observation point external to the gaming machine.

12. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the conduit is a cylindrical tube with the second end being offset from the fixed end along a center axis, the first end being fastened via a collar base with radial slots for multiple tower light positions, the second end being movable between positions of the plurality of different positions by adjustably moving the radial slots.

13. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the conduit includes telescoping members movable relative to each other, the second end being movable between positions of the plurality of different positions by adjustably moving the telescoping members relative to each other.

14. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the second end automatically moves between the first position and the second position in response to a predetermined condition.

15. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein the conduit includes one or more universal joints with multiple degrees of freedom.

16. A gaming machine comprising:

a cabinet frame facing a player position in front of the gaming machine;

one or more display devices within the cabinet and configured to display a wagering game;

a tower light adjustably mounted to the cabinet frame via a flexible conduit, the tower light having a status indicator for indicating a status condition of the gaming machine to an observation point external to the gaming machine, the tower light being movable between different positions relative to the player position, the flexible conduit being fixed at one end to the cabinet frame in each of the different positions, the tower light being fixed to another end of the conduit in each of the different positions, the conduit being in the form of a flexibly positionable shaft with one or more illuminated areas near the adjustable end, the one or more illuminated areas receiving light from a light source located internally in the topbox frame.

17. The gaming machine of claim 16, wherein the tower light is viewable from the player position in one of the different positions, the tower light being obscured from view relative to the player position in another one of the different positions.

18. The gaming machine of claim 16, wherein the tower light is manually adjustable between the different positions.