Abstract:
A gaming machine electronics enclosure includes a box-shaped structure comprised of a plurality of members enclosing a volume, the structure further defining an access opening. The enclosure includes a lid for closing off the access opening, the lid being lockable with respect to the structure in a position closing off the opening for securing components contained within the volume. At least one of the members is displaceably arranged relative to the remainder of the members at least when the lid is in an open configuration for facilitating access to an interior of the structure.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to, and is a continuation of, co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/568,196 having a filing date of May 3, 2007, which claims priority to and is a National Phase Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/AU04/01027 filed Aug. 2, 2004, which claims priority to Australian Patent Application Number 2003904255, filed Aug. 11, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    [Not Applicable] 
       MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE  
       [0003]    [Not Applicable] 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming machine electronics enclosure. 
         [0005]    With the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market, there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply various existing and new venues. When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will pay close attention to the various options a machine may have including, for example, the game played on the machine, the level of maintenance required and the ease of serviceability. 
         [0006]    Many venues operate continuously and, as a result, require that the gaming machines are in operation for the majority of this time. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise gaming machines that have easy access to the parts of the gaming machine requiring maintenance and, in particular, the parts of the gaming machine housing the electronic equipment, yet provide a required level of security to inhibit unauthorised access to these areas. 
         [0007]    The electronic boards used in gaming machines are plugged into a backplane of an electronics housing in the gaming machine. To service the electronic boards, the boards are pushed into or pulled out of the backplane. However, there is a trend to using standard PC motherboards. These motherboards are not designed to fit a backplane. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a gaming machine electronics enclosure which includes: 
         [0009]    a box-shaped structure comprised of a plurality of members enclosing a volume, the structure further defining an access opening; 
         [0010]    a lid carried by one of the members for closing off the access opening for securing components contained within the volume; and 
         [0011]    at least one of the members being a displaceable member which is displaceably arranged relative to the remainder of the members so that, when the displaceable member is in a displaced position relative to the remainder of the members, the access opening is enlarged to facilitate access to an interior of the structure. 
         [0012]    The box-shaped structure may include a rear member, a pair of opposed side members projecting from the rear member and top and bottom members spanning the side members. The opening may be defined by free edges of the side members, the top member and the bottom member. 
         [0013]    The lid may be hingedly secured to the free edge of one of the members, preferably that member opposite the displaceable member. 
         [0014]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom member is displaceably arranged with respect to the remaining members. Thus, the lid may be hingedly secured to the free edge of the top member. When the lid is open and the bottom  10  member is displaced to its open position, a larger access opening is provided. This facilitates servicing, replacement and/or installation of components in the structure. 
         [0015]    Preferably, the bottom member is hingedly secured via opposed hinges to the side members at an operatively rear region of each side member. The hinges may be able to be disassembled for facilitating complete removal of the bottom member from the side members. 
         [0016]    The bottom member may carries a motherboard for the gaming machine. Thus, when the bottom member is in its open configuration, access to the motherboard for servicing, inspection and/or replacement is facilitated. As indicated above, the bottom member is able to be removed entirely for servicing and/or replacement of the motherboard. 
         [0017]    The bottom member may further include a support member for supporting auxiliary components such as printed circuit boards (PCB&#39;s) that may be attached to the motherboard. These auxiliary components may be standard PC components such as, for example, video cards, network communication boards, or the like. The support member may be a bracket which provides secure access for a cable interface. 
         [0018]    The enclosure may include a housing for a data storage device. The housing may be suspended from the top member of the structure. The storage device may be a hard disc or a CD ROM drive. 
         [0019]    The enclosure may further include a cooling unit. The cooling unit may be arranged below the housing for drawing air over the data storage device and on to the motherboard. 
         [0020]    The rear member may act as a backplane for PCB&#39;s which plug into the backplane. These PCB&#39;s may comprise proprietary boards providing additional gaming related functionality not provided by standard PC assemblies. 
         [0021]    The rear member may also carry mounting formations for mounting the structure to a cabinet of the gaming machine in a secure fashion. The mounting formations may be arranged internally of the side members, the top member and the bottom member so that, when the lid is in its closed position and is locked, access to the mounting formations is inhibited. 
         [0022]    According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a controller for a gaming machine, the controller comprising: 
         [0023]    an enclosure having a displaceable member which is displaceably arranged relative to the remainder of the enclosure; and 
         [0024]    at least a processor of the controller being carried on the displaceable member of the enclosure. 
         [0025]    The processor may encompass standard PC technology. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    An embodiment of the invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: 
           [0027]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a gaming machine electronics enclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, in a closed state; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the enclosure in an open state; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the enclosure in a disassembled state. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]    In the drawings, reference numeral  10  generally designates a gaming machine electronics enclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         [0031]    The enclosure  10  includes a box-like structure  12  having a rear member  14 , a pair of opposed side members  16  projecting from the rear member  14 , a bottom member  18  and a top member  20 . The top member  20  spans the side members  16  and also projects from the rear member  14 . 
         [0032]    As will be described in greater detail below, the bottom member  18  is displaceably arranged relative to the side members  16  and is hingedly secured to the side members  16 . 
         [0033]    The side members  16 , the top member  20  and the bottom member  18 , when the bottom member  18  is in its closed configuration, defines an access opening  22 . The access opening  22  is closed off by a lid  24 . The lid  24  is secured via a hinge  26  to a free edge of the top member  20 . 
         [0034]    The lid  24  carries a lock  28  and, when in its closed configuration, as shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings, and the bottom member  18  is similarly in its closed configuration, locks to a locking formation  30  carried proximate a front edge of the bottom member  18  securely to enclose a volume  32  defined by the structure  12  and the lid  24 . 
         [0035]    The component parts of the structure  12 , being the rear member  14 , the side members  16 , the bottom  18  and the top member  20  as well as the lid  24  are of sheet metal construction for inhibiting access being gained to the interior of the structure  12  when the lid  24  is in its closed, locked configuration. 
         [0036]    The bottom member  18  is hingedly secured via a pair of opposed hinges  34 , one of which is shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings, to rear regions of the side members  16  to be able to pivot between the closed configuration as shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings and an open configuration as shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. It is to be noted that the rear member  14  carries stop members  36  for limiting the degree of downward pivoting of the bottom member  18  relative to the side members  16 . In addition, the hinges  34  are configured such that, by lifting the rear part of the bottom member  18  relative to the side members  16 , the hinges  34  can be disengaged from the side members  16  to facilitate removal of the bottom member  18  from the remainder of the structure  12 , as shown in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. 
         [0037]    The bottom member  18  supports a motherboard  38  of the gaming machine. The bottom member  18  further carries a support member in the form of a support bracket  40 . The support bracket  40  supports additional printed circuit boards (PCB&#39;s), one of  20  which is shown at  42  in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. In addition, the support bracket  40  provides secure access for a cable interface via an opening  44  in the lid  24 . The motherboard uses standard PC technology. For example, the technology used is based on a standard ATX and/or uATX PC mechanical specification. This has the benefit that the gaming machine  10  is easily able to be upgraded to take into account the latest technologies and/or to upgrade performance of the gaming machine  10 . 
         [0038]    A housing  46  for a data storage device  48  is arranged within the structure  12 . Preferably, the housing  46  is suspended from the top member  20  and is secured to an internal surface of one of the side members  16 . The data storage device  48  is, for example, a hard disc or a CD ROM-drive. 
         [0039]    A cooling unit in the form of a cooling fan  50  is arranged below the housing  46 . The fan  50  draws air in through slots  52  defined in the lid  24 . Air drawn in by the fan  50  is drawn over the device  48  and is then blown on to the motherboard  38  to effect cooling of the device  48  and the motherboard  38 . 
         [0040]    It is to be noted in  FIG. 1  of the drawings that runners  54  are defined on an exterior surface of the lid  24  for supporting a screen of filter media (not shown). 
         [0041]    The interior of the structure  12  includes runners  58  ( FIG. 3 ) for additional, auxiliary PCB&#39;s  60  which slide along the runners  58  to plug into a backplane defined by the rear member  48 . 
         [0042]    In use, the enclosure  10  is mounted via suitable fasteners (not shown) to the appropriate formation in the gaming machine. The fasteners extend through the rear member  14  to secure the enclosure  10  in position. Because the fasteners are contained within the interior of the structure, unauthorised access to the fasteners is inhibited when the lid  24  is in its closed, locked configuration. Critical and related electronic components of the gaming machine are arranged within the interior of the structure  12  of the enclosure  10 . Critical electronic components of the gaming machine are those which require regulatory approval and which may not be tampered with. The bottom member  18  is retained in its closed position as shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. The lid  24  is closed and locked to inhibit unauthorised access to the interior of the enclosure  10 . 
         [0043]    When it is desired to service, inspect, install, repair and/or replace components of the gaming machine, the lid  24  is unlocked and is pivoted about the hinge  26  to the position shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. The access opening  22  is enlarged by pivoting the bottom member  18  downwardly as shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings to enable easier access to be gained to the required components of the gaming machine  20  contained within the enclosure  10 . 
         [0044]    It will be appreciated that, in many instances, a technician will be working on the gaming machine under poor lighting conditions. Also, the interior of a cabinet of the gaming machine in which the enclosure  10  is installed contains many other pieces of equipment and, as such, is a very confined space within which to work. By having the bottom member  18  fully detachable from the remainder of the structure  10 , the technician&#39;s task is facilitated and the bottom member  18  can be removed from the interior of the gaming machine to enable the motherboard to be serviced, etc. 
         [0045]    Accordingly, it is an advantage of the invention that an enclosure  10  is provided which improves accessibility to components of the gaming machine by authorized personnel. In addition, when it is desired to replace the motherboard  38 , this can be facilitated easily by removal of the bottom member  18  of the enclosure  10 . It will be appreciated that it may be desired to replace the motherboard  38  when the gaming machine is refurbished, upgraded or when the gaming machine has its game replaced. When the enclosure  10  is in a closed condition, the critical electronic components of the gaming machine are secured within the interior of the enclosure  10  and unauthorised access to such components is inhibited. The use of steel plate for the members of the structure  12  and lid  24  of the enclosure  10  further inhibits unauthorized access to the components and/or tampering with such components. 
         [0046]    Further, it is an advantage of the invention that the combined use of standard PC technology on the motherboard  38  and the hinged enclosure  10  provides a useful solution to the need for ease of manufacture and service of a controller of the gaming machine in a very affordable and cost-effective manner. It is also space-efficient which is advantageous when considering the lack of space in the interior of the gaming machine. 
         [0047]    It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.