Reel device for a gaming machine

• US 9,997,008 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technological Group Limited, Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aruze Gaming America Incorporated (Aruze Gaming America, Inc. /Okada/), Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Tanimura, Tatsuhiko, Kukita, Noritoshi, Ike, Hiroatsu, Sasaki, Yoshitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US14/720,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming machine includes: a reel having an outer circumferential surface on which symbols are lined up; a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the symbols; a magnet which is provided in the reel driving mechanism to change an external magnetic field in accordance with the rotation of the reel; a magnetic force detecting mechanism which detects a magnetic force of the external magnetic field so as to output a magnetic force detection signal; a reel setting unit by which the magnetic force detection signal and arrangement positions of the symbols are associated with one another; and a reel drive control unit which controls the reel driving mechanism so that the symbols are rearranged in a predetermined arrangement based on the magnetic force detection signal and the arrangement positions of the symbols.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a reel having a reel band on which symbols are lined up;

a reel supporting member supporting the reel;

a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the symbols;

a backlight apparatus which is detachably connected to the reel supporting member to emit illumination light from an inner circumference side of the reel band toward the reel band to allow the illumination light having passed through the reel band to be visible from outside the gaming machine;

an effect-light emitter which is detachably connected to the reel supporting member and provided on a side surface of the reel and in a gap between the reel and an immediately neighboring reel to emit a plurality of sets of effect light through the gap so as to be visible from outside the gaming machine; and

a reel effect controller which controls emission states of the plurality of sets of effect light emitted from the effect-light emitter,

wherein the effect-light emitter includes effect-light sources which are aligned along a circumferential length of the gap, wherein each of the effect-light sources can change a light amount of the plurality of sets of effect light stepwise, and wherein the effect-light sources emit the plurality of sets of effect light in a direction orthogonal to a surface of the reel band, through a light-transmissive cover provided between the reel and the immediately neighboring reel; and

wherein the reel effect controller individually controls the effect-light sources.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel effect controller controls the effect-light sources so that the emission states of the plurality of sets of effect light correspond to at least one of rotating or stopping the reel.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel effect controller controls the effect-light sources so that the light amount is changed in accordance with a rotational direction of the reel.

4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel effect controller controls the effect-light sources so that a rate of increase or decrease in the light amount is changed in accordance with a rotation speed of the reel.

5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel effect controller controls the emission states of the plurality of sets of effect-light in accordance with a combination of the rearranged symbols.

6. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the reel effect controller controls at least one of the light amount of the effect light, a color of the effect light, an emission interval of the effect light, and emission timings of the effect light.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a lateral side of the effect-light emitter abuts a side surface of the reel and an opposing lateral side of the effect-light emitter abuts a side surface of the immediately neighboring reel.

8. The gaming machine according to claim 7, wherein the effect-light emitter further comprises an effect-light board between the lateral side and the opposing lateral side.

9. The gaming machine according to claim 8, wherein each of the effect-light sources is coupled to an outwardly-facing surface of the effect-light board.

10. The gaming machine according to claim 9, wherein the effect-light board is housed within a hollow board case.

11. The gaming machine according to claim 10, wherein the light-transmissive cover is provided on a front side of the hollow board case, between the reel and the immediately neighboring reel.

12. A reel device comprising:

a reel having a reel band on which symbols are lined up;

a reel supporting member supporting the reel;

a reel driving mechanism which rotates the reel to rearrange the symbols;

a backlight apparatus which is detachably connected to the reel supporting member to emit illumination light from an inner circumference side of the reel band toward the reel band to allow the illumination light having passed through the reel band to be visible from outside a gaming machine;

an effect-light emitter which is detachably connected to the reel supporting member and provided on a side surface of the reel and in a gap between the reel and an immediately neighboring reel to emit a plurality of sets of effect light through the gap so as to be visible from outside the gaming machine; and

a reel effect controller which controls emission states of the plurality of sets of effect light emitted from the effect-light emitter,

wherein the effect-light emitter includes effect-light sources which are aligned along a circumferential length of the gap, wherein each of the effect-light sources can change a light amount of the plurality of sets of effect light stepwise, and wherein the effect-light sources emit the plurality of sets of effect light in a direction orthogonal to a surface of the reel band, through a light-transmissive cover provided between the reel and the immediately neighboring reel; and

wherein the reel effect controller individually controls the effect-light sources.

13. A gaming machine comprising:

a reel comprising a reel band having a surface on which a plurality of symbols are aligned;

a reel supporting member supporting both the reel and a reel driving mechanism, the reel driving mechanism configured to rotate the reel;

a backlight apparatus detachably connected to the reel supporting member and configured to emit illumination light through the reel band so as to be visible from outside the gaming machine;

an effect-light emitter detachably connected to the reel supporting member and positioned in a gap between the reel and an immediately neighboring reel, the effect-light emitter including a plurality of effect-light sources aligned along a circumferential length of the gap, wherein each of the plurality of effect-light sources is configured to emit a plurality of sets of effect light, in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the reel band, so as to be visible from outside the gaming machine, and wherein each of the plurality of effect-light sources can change a light amount emitted by the plurality of sets of effect light stepwise; and

a reel-effect controller electronically coupled to the backlight apparatus and the effect-light emitter;

wherein the reel-effect controller is configured to individually control each of the plurality of effect-light sources so as to control an emission state of the plurality of sets of effect-light.

14. The gaming machine according to claim 13, wherein the reel effect controller controls at least one of the light amount of the effect light, a color of the effect light, an emission interval of the effect light, and emission timings of the effect light.