Abstract:
A game machine with a reel shroud apparatus and shrouding method are disclosed for use with observable indicia on reels. The disclosed reel shroud apparatus and shrouding method is disclosed to provide one or more windows associated with the reels and discloses reel illumination isolation techniques that reduce splash. The reel shroud apparatus and shrouding method also discloses techniques to reduce structure and enable wider angle viewing of the reels.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from provisional application 60/715,774 filed on Sep. 10, 2005, hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The field of this invention generally relates to game apparatuses and methods, and more particularly to game machines with shroud structures and methods used in conjunction with game apparatuses and methods.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0003]     Game devices such as slot machines are well known and are in widespread usage throughout the world. The common form of various game devices is a cabinet with a plurality of rotating reels. In such devices, it is common for each reel to have a piece of material commonly known as a “reel strip” mounted about the reel periphery and upon which are displayed certain types of indicia such as representations of fruits (oranges, plums, lemons, cherries, etc.) arranged in particular patterns. The cabinet also commonly includes a door upon which is mounted a transparent plastic or glass barrier that physically separates the player from the reels. These barriers, generally known as “reel glass,” are normally screen printed with masking graphics that create rectangular viewing windows aligned horizontally in front of each reel to allow a player to observe an aligned sequence of the indicia located on the reels.  
         [0004]     The forward edge of each reel mechanism is typically separated from the back face of the reel glass by distances of ¼ inch or more and it is common to be able to partially see the interior of the gaming machine cabinet and reel mechanisms through this space. It is desirable to mask the internal structure of the reels from observation by the player in order to prevent distraction from the game and for aesthetic and security reasons. One partial solution that has been proposed is to reduce the size of the viewing windows so that some portion of the face of each reel is also obscured. This masking approach has the undesired effect of creating viewing angle deficiencies at oblique angles to the outermost reels. This is most prevalent in cases where more than three reels are used, since reel widths are generally reduced in order to fit the increased number of reels in a cabinet of typical dimensions, thus increasing the percentage of the reel face obscured by masking graphics around each reel window. Inability to clearly see all of the displayed indicia can lead to player dissatisfaction or confusion, particularly in modern reel spinning slot machines that employ multiple pay lines.  
         [0005]     As is well-known in the art, reels are generally front-lit. Some reel strips may be formed from an opaque material and cut-out in the area of certain semi-transparent indicia so that those indicia may be selectively back-lit by lights mounted to the reel assembly behind the reel strip. One of the problems associated with front-lit reel lighting is that it does not allow for the front-highlighting of a specific reel. This is generally because front-lit lighting readily bleeds or splashes from the one specific reel to the adjacent reels, which reduces the desired affect and can cause player confusion. One proposed partial solution is to provide light barriers mounted to the back of the reel glass or to the gaming machine door and extending back toward and between the reels. However, these barriers further contribute to the oblique angle viewing problems described above.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a game machine with a reel shroud apparatus and method are provided to increase reel illumination isolation by reducing splash and reducing structure for wider angle viewing of the reels.  
         [0007]     Further, objects, features and advantages of various embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a gaming machine incorporating one embodiment of the shroud assembly.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front view of one embodiment of the shroud assembly.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front view of one embodiment of the shroud assembly.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a three dimensional front view of one embodiment of the shroud assembly.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a three dimensional rear view of one embodiment of the shroud assembly.  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a front view of one embodiment of the shroud assembly position in front of reels demonstrating an example of light locations illuminated to indicate particular pay lines. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts throughout the drawings and, more particularly to  FIGS. 1-5 , a gaming machine  100 , such as a conventional Bally Technologies gaming machine, is shown having a reel shroud  200 . Referring now to  FIG. 1 , gaming machine  100  includes a cabinet  110  and reel shroud  200  connected to the reel glass  120  or directly to the door  125  of the cabinet  110  and positioned in front of the reels  130 . It should also be appreciated that the reel shroud of the present invention could alternatively be attached to a support mounted to cabinet  110 , such as an axis rod supporting the reels. Reel shroud  200  may be constructed, by way of example and not intended to be limiting in any way, from a plastic material that is cast, forged, pressure-formed or vacuum formed. In one embodiment, the shroud would be constructed out of a plastic material using an injection molding production process that allow the tight dimensional tolerances required to accommodate the overall tolerance stack-ups typical in the reel and cabinet assemblies. It should be appreciated that the shroud can be constructed of any suitable materials and any suitable forming methods may be employed, without limitation. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , reel shroud  200  has a dark external coloring matched to blend in with the background surrounding reels  130 . The dark coloring of reel shroud  200  has a reduced glare and reflective texture or tint.  
         [0015]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-5 , using one or more mounting holes  230 , shroud  200  may be secured to the gaming machine as generally described above with conventionally available or adaptable fasteners, connectors, and support structure. Alternatively, the forward portion of reel shroud  200  may be adhered to the back of reel glass  120  as by an adhesive glue or epoxy. In such case, the perimeter frame may have one or more portions, such as two vertical elements extending forward to the glass and the remainder of the forward surfaces of reel shroud  200  remain recessed away from the reel glass  120  and in proximity to respective of reels  120  providing an overall view and positioning of shroud  200  and reels  130  so that they appear to substantially be spatially integrated or have adjacent components in the same plane. Alternatively, more portions of reel shroud  130  may extend forward to reel glass  120 , such as reel separator ribs  260 , however this may introduce some obstruction to viewing reels  130  while having the benefit of reducing light splashing from a selected area to another. Another embodiment may have the entire perimeter region of reel shroud  200  extending forward with remaining forward surface areas being recessed.  
         [0016]     Reel shroud  200  contains one or more reel window openings  210  that closely surround the sides and top of each reel (shown in  FIG. 1  and  6 ). When mounted, reel shroud  200  masks view of the internal mechanism of reels  130 . Additionally, the implementation of reel shroud  200  enables the transparent window opening  290  ( FIG. 6 ) of reel glass that overlays reels  130  to be expanded into a single opening as shown that extends about the full size of the combined reel faces so as to provide the player with an unobstructed view of the displayed faces of each reel mechanism and their respective indicia. It will be obvious to those normally skilled in the art that other reel glass graphic variations are possible.  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  3 , active pay line light openings  220  may be positioned in front of respective light sources, such as light emitting devices (LEDs), in order to allow light to illuminate a particular location of reel glass  120 . For example, when a player places a wager on a particular pay line, the LED may operate and emit a light beam through associated pairs of light openings  220  corresponding to the particular pay line being wagered upon. Reel shroud  200  may also enable selective lighting to illuminate other locations of reel glass  120  through selective positioning of additional light sources on the backside of the shroud. Such lighting may be visible through clear or semi-transparent insets  240  (as shown in  FIG. 2-4 ) and controlled by the game to provide feedback to the player during game play. Insets  240  may be comprised of plastic and may have various shapes and sizes and be of various shades and colors. By example, in some embodiments, certain lights may be illuminated in order to identify a particular pay line pattern as it is wagered or when a win occurs on that pay line. Briefly turning to  FIG. 6 , lights at positions  270  may be illuminated to indicate that the cherries on the top row of the first reel produced a winning combination on the pay line that extends across the top row of the reels. Similarly, lights at positions  280  may be illuminated to indicate that the triple-bar indicia on the bottom row of the first and second reels produced a winning combination on the pay line that extends across the bottom row of reels. As will be readily apparent to those normally skilled in the art, the various winning combinations may be so highlighted in a sequential or some other manner that clearly distinguishes one winning combination from another, with or without simultaneous back-lighting of the winning indicia.  
         [0018]     The shroud lights (not shown) may consist of, for example and not intended to be limiting in any way, incandescent lamps, light-emitting diodes (LED&#39;s), colored LED&#39;s, tri-color LED&#39;s, black light lamps or LED&#39;s or any other similar and suitable illumination device.  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , separator ribs  260  of the shroud  200  separate the reels from one another and may be curved as shown to match the curvature of the reels. This creates an aesthetically pleasing three-dimensional effect. It should be appreciated that, in alternate embodiments, the separators  260  may be of other shapes and appearance. The separator ribs  260 , by extending from the front of the reels toward the back of the reel glass, may allow the reduction or complete elimination of screened reel separation graphics on the reel glass itself. In other words, such graphics may be incorporated on reel shroud  200 , and allow reel glass  120  to be simply a clear glass. Positioning lights above and/or below the shroud to introduce light between the reel glass and the front surface of the reels through semi-transparent transfusion panels  250  allows light to enter the space between the reels and the reel glass in a manner that front-lights the reels. By way of example and not intended to be limiting in any way, it might be desirable to highlight one or more bonus reels or bonus indicia in this manner using white front light or light of a particular color. It will be obvious to one normally skilled in the art that, in order to prevent player confusion, the height and shape of separators  260  and the type of lights may be altered from the illustrated embodiment as required to prevent light bleeding onto the face of adjacent reels. Additionally, the beam of the light source may be adjusted to illuminate a specified area directly or indirectly as by reflection or refraction.  
         [0020]     The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the claimed invention without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the claims.