Abstract:
A mounting assembly for reels of gaming machines. The reel (6) bear on their edge around their periphery a translucent strip carrying various symbols and is driven by a driving motor (5) such as a stepper motor which is angularly adjustable with respect to the reel, integrating illumination lamps (12) on a lampshade holder (13) within the reel (6) which are also positionally adjustable with respect to said reel. The reel comprises a mounting (1) including a hollow cylinder (1a) concentrically placed within said reel (6) and with one of its bases open, housing inside a holder (4) of said motor (5). First means (11) and second means (11a) are provided to independently angularly adjust the position of said motor holder (4) and of said lampshade holder (13) with respect to said hollow cylinder (1a), said means being clamped on a peripheral toothing (2) of said hollow cylinder (1a).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns a mounting assembly especially conceived for reels of gaming machines actuated by coins or chips, of the type integrating several of said reels placed on edge side by side with their axes coaxially aligned, provided around their periphery with a translucent strip carrying various symbols, driven by a driving motor such as a stepper motor, and with illumination means within the reel. Such reels are arranged with their peripheral portion or edge bearing a symbol carrying strip behind a window forming a screen at the front of the machine by way of a display for a horizontal array of symbols or scores of different reels in order to thus establish various permutations and combinations of series of winning symbols. 
     Reels of gaming machines with such a general structure are described in GB-A-1471866 and GB-A-1472704, where some symbol detecting means in association with a reel driving means. 
     Patents GB-A-2156565, U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,906, GB-A-2182478 and WO-A-93/05484 describe gaming machine reel mounting assemblies allowing an alignment or positional adjustment of said driving stepper motor and of the interior illumination lamp sets with respect to said reel by turning them around the latter&#39;s axis as needed and so as to achieve correct adjustments, so as to be in a position to adapt a given set of reels to different machines. U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,246 describes such a reel including parts of a magnetic nature together with a detector device which in a magnetic field operation and with the aid of a control circuit allows to indicate the standstill positions of the reel. Other reels with positional detection means based on magnetic fields (such as Hall-effect detector devices) appear in patents EP-A-69129 and GB-2093295. 
     The different solutions adopted present nevertheless the drawback of involving in most cases the need to previously dismount at least the reels because of the difficult access to the adjusting members, taking into account that the arrayed reels are because of their explained operation placed side by side on edge and very close together, and they present as well the problem that the positional adjustment of the motor entails an indispensable and simultaneous relocation of the illumination lamp set, so that said lamps must be separately adjusted. 
     The invention seeks to provide a mounting assembly for said reels which solves the above-mentioned drawbacks in a very simple way and with a high accuracy, and which furthermore provides a sensibly lower global cost of the assembly because of the conception of the mounting and of the standardization of several of the pieces employed. To such an effect is to be especially pointed out the easy accessibility to carry out the different adjustment tasks (adaptation to different reels or machines) provided by the proposed assembly, since the means provided to carry out said tasks are located opposite to the boss and holder of the reel and next to the mouth opening of a central hollow body supporting the motor and the lamp set arranged within the reel. The adjustment of the motor and of the magnetic elements associated with the reel for the positional detection, as well as the positional adjustment of the illumination lamps with respect to the reel are besides totally independent thus facilitating a simpler adaptation of the assembly to different reels. Said adjustments can besides be carried out in a very simple and easy way, since the arrangement allows to act in the interspace between the edges of the reels without having to dismount any pieces and thereby guaranteeing the execution of an accurate task. All this brings about a better adaptability of the reel mounting assembly to different reels and/or gaming machines. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This mounting assembly provides as well means to allow the adaptation (in length and diameter) of motors of different sizes and fastened whether by their front part or by their rear part, depending on the cases. 
     In order to prevent a sudden start and stop of the stepper motor the use of a flexible coupling has been foreseen comprising an arrangement of resilient elements between the output shaft of said motor and the connection or input in a reel boss, all this as per a common practice in the prior art referred to, among other documents, in patents U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,722 and EP-A-66985, though in an embodiment which differs from that described in said publications of prior art, i.e. based on a flexible coupling of conventional type. 
     The proposed mounting assembly comprises basically and as detailed in claim 1 a hollow cylinder with horizontal axis held in a high position by a mounting support, the mouth opening of said cylinder being peripherally toothed and cooperating with the also toothed pawls of two devices of identical conception which are apt to move along as many differentiated sectors of said peripheral toothing thereby moving along with them their associated elements which are respectively the reel driving stepper motor holder and the illumination lamp set holder. 
     Other features of the invention and the important advantages thereof will become apparent from the detailed description below. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be now described in more detail by way of a nonlimiting example and referring to the enclosed drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an elevational view from the rear part of a gaming machine reel mounting assembly as per the invention; 
     FIG. 1a is a section along section line 1a--1a in FIG. 1 showing a detail of the magnetic element adjustably associated with the reel for a positional indication; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the locking device for a releasable locking in a desired position of the reel driving motor or of the inner illumination lamp set, i.e. allowing the above-mentioned positional adjustment; 
     FIG. 3 is another perspective view showing the holder provided to hold and support said reel driving stepper motor; 
     FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively a plan-view and a sectioned side elevation of an intermediary piece which is to be provided between the motor and the reel and is apt to receive resilient means provided to constitute a flexible coupling between motor and reel; 
     FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a holder member provided to hold the illumination elements; 
     FIG. 7 shows in a perspective view one of the lampshades with a fastening lug or appendage and turn preventing means; 
     FIG. 8 is an elevational section along section line VIII--VIII in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 9 is another elevational section along section line IX--IX in FIG. 1, and 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the lampshade holder holding its respective lampshades, and the U-shaped piece to be attached to said lampshade holder, and allowing to appreciate a preferred way in which said attachment is to be effected. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     According to these FIGS., the gaming machine reel mounting assembly being the object of this patent consists in a mounting 1 in the shape of a one-piece molding comprising a vertical wall which at one of its ends is bent to thus form a lower base portion 1b (see FIGS. 8 and 9) with appendages 25 determining U-shaped fastening members to be associated with a sill (not shown), and which at its other end connects with the edge of the totally open base of a hollow cylinder 1a which has its axis in a horizontally lying position and is partially open at its other base as per circular opening 3. Cylinder la is provided at the mouth opening of its totally open base with a peripheral toothing 2, as well as with an arcuate slot 22 provided in a zone of its lateral wall. Inside said hollow cylinder 1a is arranged a housing 4 constituting a holder for motor 5 whose shaft extends centrally through opening 3 and bears reel 6 which is coaxially fitted on it and does in its turn peripherally bear on its edge a strip 6a with a given number (such as for example 12, 14 or 24) of symbols. Motor holder 4 has a bottom flange 7 surrounded by a guiding and centering cylindrical salient 21, said flange 7 being retained by means of a front stop formed by a ring 8 fastened by a screw 9 to the bottom of said hollow cylinder 1a. 
     Said motor holder 4 is besides provided with a frontal stepped tab 10 extending outside the hollow cylinder 1a in such a way that it flushingly matches the outline of the mouth opening of the latter and projects above its toothed rail 2. Associated with said tab 10 there is a resilient device 11 with a toothing 20 which is apt to be moved through a desired turning angle and to thus lock the assembly formed by motor holder 4 and motor once thus positioned as desired with respect to hollow cylinder 1a. 
     Lamps 12 of the lamp set for the illumination of the peripheral strip 6a of reel 6 from inside are in their turn installed inside lampshades 27, 27a, 27b fastened to a lampshade holder 13 formed by a plate of ring-sectorial shape to be fastened by a screw (26) as in FIG. 9 or advantageously (FIG. 10) in a snap and snug fit to a U-shaped piece 14, said fastening being more precisely carried out by means of slidingly fitting the outer end parts of the inner limb portions 14b of the U-shaped piece 14 into the inner recesses 13c of lateral salients 13b of said ring-sectorial-shaped plate 13, and also by means of simultaneously engaging in a snap fit stub 13a of said plate 13 into the fitting hole 14d provided in the resilient inner limb central portion 14c of said U-shaped piece 14, said inner limb portions 14b, 14c passing in their turn through said arcuate slot 22 provided in the wall of said hollow cylinder 1a, a resilient device 11a identical to the one mentioned above being received in the parallel limb 14a of said U-shaped piece 14, said parallel limb 14a extending outside the hollow cylinder 1a in such a way that it flushingly matches the outline of the mouth opening of the latter and projects above its toothed rail 2, in the same way as for tab 10 but affecting in this case another sector of said toothed rail 2. 
     The illumination lamps 12 are installed inside lampshades 27, 27a and 27b each of which possesses a lug of appendage 40 formed as an extension of its bottom with a central hole 41 and two positioning, turn preventing stubs 42, 43 at each side for its fastening to said lampshade holder 13, said fastening being in the case of the central lampshade 27 carried out by means of a screw 26 passing through a hole 28 also provided in said lampshade holder 13 and flanked at both sides by holes 28a, 28b provided to receive said stubs 42, 43 of a coincident diameter. Both lateral lampshades 27a, 27b are mounted by means of screwing a screw 29 passing through hole 41 of their corresponding appendage 40 into one or another of an array of equispaced holes 30 provided in said lampshade holder 13, in such a way as to leave at each of both sides of said screw 29 a corresponding free hole for the insertion into them of the positioning stubs 42, 43. Thus in the example of FIG. 6 any of the lateral lampshades can be mounted in three alternative positions, depending on if screw 29 is arranged through the central hole 30 of the array or through any of holes 30 adjacent to said central hole, since in this way there will always be next to the chosen hole 30 another two available to receive said stubs 42, 43 provided to immobilize said lampshades. 
     Both devices 11 and 11a consist of (see FIG. 2) a locking member 15 with a hollow 16 to house one half of a spring 17 whose other half is to be housed in another hollow 18 of a second piece 19 which is to be fastened in one instance to the stepped tab 10 of holder 4, and in the other instance to limb 14a of the U-shaped piece 14 connected to the illumination lamp set. Said second piece 19 has recesses 23 which are complementary of lateral salients 24 of said locking member but have a larger extension for thus loosely housing them. Locking member 15 ends in both cases at its end opposite to the pulling handle in a toothing 20 which is apt to snugly engage peripheral toothing 2 of hollow cylinder 1a. 
     Thus when actuating any of both devices 11, 11a by pulling outwards locking member 15 toothing 20 becomes disengaged from toothing 2, and motor holder 4 and/or illumination lamp set holder 13 can be then turned till reaching the desired angular position, whereupon and by means of releasing said locking member 15 the engagement is then reestablished through the action of spring 17, the whole operation taking place in a very simple and efficient way. 
     As it can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, between shaft 36 of motor 5 and a cylindrical boss 35 of reel 6 is arranged a resilient means such as O-rings 34 surrounding stubs or studs 32 of an intermediary piece 31 which has a central through hole 33 with a flat provided to serve as a keyway for attachment to said shaft 36 which has in its turn a longitudinal flat portion provided to serve as a key, said shaft 36 passing loosely through a central portion 39 o said boss 35 and being attached to the latter by means of a clamping washer 37. The use of an intermediary piece 31 fitted on shaft 36 and provided with several stubs around which elastic envelopes or rings are arranged which are then in their turn inserted into respective pockets of an envelope of the other piece to be attached is a typical example of an elastic coupling and is described, for instance, in patent DE-827277. 
     FIG. 8 shows the mounting of a motor 5 fastened by its front part by means of mounting lugs 44 extending through diametrically opposed notches 45 of flange 7 (see FIG. 3) and by means of screws 46 screwed into threaded holes of said flange 7 (FIG. 8). As an alternative, FIG. 9 shows the fastening of another motor 5a of larger size fastened by its rear part by means of the arrangement of an adapter tube 46 surrounding the protruding portion of said motor 5a and engaging with its front part with a lesser wall thickness the mouth opening of holder 4, said adapter tube comprising threaded holes 47 for fastening a back plate 48 of said motor by means of screws 49. 
     FIGS. 1 and 1a show besides in detail the arrangement in association with reel 6 of at least a hollow pinion 50 provided at one end with a stem 51 and at its other end with a cavity to house a magnet or magnetized element 52 for the positional detection of the reel by means of a Hall-effect device as per a technique known in itself, as has been already mentioned. Said stem 51 extends in a snug fit through an elongated, arcuate slot 53 of a tab 54 which is perpendicular to ring 55 of the reel, said ring 55 having on its inner surface a toothing 56 where said pinion 50 carrying the magnetic element 52 enmeshes in such a way that by turning said stem 51 the assembly formed by the pinion and magnet can be positioned at will for the positional detection. 
     In this same FIG. 1 can be appreciated the existence of a lateral expansion 57 of the one-piece mounting 1, which expansion offers a bearing surface for the installation of a board 58 fastened by screws 59 screwed in holes 60, said board 58 bearing a circuit provided with a Hall-effect device for positional detection when interacting with said magnetic elements 52 when they pass through its vicinity as the reel turns. 
     From the above description it becomes apparent that the proposed mounting assembly allows a simple and easy adjustment both of the motor and the illumination lamp set as well as of the positional detection magnetic element with no need to dismount the reels, since the adjusting means are arranged (see FIGS. 8 and 9) in lateral zones slightly spaced from the edge of said reel 6, an independent adjustment of the motor and of the illumination lamp set with respect to said reel being also possible.