Patent Publication Number: US-2003222398-A1

Title: Illumination of a coin tray of a gaming machine

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates generally to gaming machines and, more particularly, to a method and arrangement for illuminating a coin tray of a gaming machine.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Gaming machines typically include a lower frontal display area and a coin tray mounted to a machine housing below the display area. The display area may hold a glass artwork panel (or “belly” glass) depicting colorful graphics and/or information such as a game name, minimum wager, pay table, etc. To draw attention to the display area, the artwork panel is illuminated by a fluorescent light bulb mounted behind the panel. In response to a player&#39;s election to redeem any credits remaining on the machine&#39;s credit meter, an interior coin hopper dispenses a corresponding number of coins into the coin tray. The player manually scoops the coins in the coin tray into a coin collection cup provided by the gaming establishment.  
       [0003] The coin tray generally relies upon ambient light or non-amplified, indirect light from the aforementioned fluorescent light bulb for illumination. Such light, however, is generally insufficient to fully illuminate the coin tray. To make matters worse, things such as the gaming machine itself, the player, and a stool situated in front of the gaming machine may prevent ambient light from even reaching the coin tray and thereby cast shadows that darken portions of the coin tray. Due to poor visibility, the player may take longer to locate and collect coins in the coin tray and may even inadvertently miss some of the coins.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004] To overcome the above-noted drawbacks, the present invention provides a gaming machine comprising a display area, a coin tray, a lighting element, and a light amplification element. The display area supporting an artwork panel. The coin tray is proximate to the display area. When the lighting element is switched on, it illuminates the artwork panel and the coin tray. The light amplification element, which is preferably lens with angular facets, amplifies and directs light from the lighting element toward he coin tray to enhance the illumination of the coin tray. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0005] The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.  
     [0006]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a gaming machine including an arrangement for illuminating a coin tray in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0007]FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of a lower portion of the gaming machine.  
     [0008]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line  3 - 3  in FIG. 2.  
     [0009]FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a lens with angular facets employed in the arrangement for illuminating the coin tray. 
    
    
     [0010] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT  
     [0011] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a gaming machine  10  including a cost-effective arrangement for illuminating a coin tray  12  in accordance with the present invention. The gaming machine  10  is operable to play a game of chance such as mechanical or video slots, poker, blackjack, keno, or bingo. In response to a wager, a central processing unit (CPU) randomly selects a game outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes and visually represents the selected outcome on a display such as a video display  14 . If the selected outcome corresponds to a winning outcome, the player is awarded a payout identified on a pay table for that winning outcome.  
     [0012] The gaming machine  10  includes a cabinet  16  and a lower front door  18  hinged to the cabinet  16 . The front door  18  includes a display area  20  and a generally flat wall  22  between the display area  20  and the coin tray  12 . The coin tray  12  is mounted to a lowermost end of the cabinet  16  such that the coin tray  12  is below the display area  20 . The display area  20  supports an artwork panel  24  preferably composed of glass imprinted with artwork using a digital imaging or screen printing process. The artwork may include colorful graphics and/or information such as a game name, minimum wager (coin denomination), pay table, etc. The door  18  also includes a button panel  26  for operating the gaming machine  10 . The button panel  26  is preferably below the display area  20  and above the wall  22 , but may alternatively be above both the display area  20  and the wall  22 .  
     [0013] In accordance with the present invention, the gaming machine includes a cost-effective arrangement for enhancing illumination of the coin tray  12 . This arrangement is lo best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Specifically, the wall  22  includes an elongated window containing a light amplification element  28  such as a lens with angular facets or a Fresnel lens. A Fresnel lens is a thin optical lens consisting of concentric rings of segmental lenses and having a short focal length. FIG. 4 depicts a cross-section of the lens  28 . Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, the lens  28  is preferably centered between the right and left sides of the front door  18  (see FIG. 2) and spans approximately one-half or more of the length of the coin tray  12 . In one embodiment, the coin tray  12  has a length of about 21 inches, and the lens  28  has a length of about 10 inches and a width of about 1.5 inches. The length of the lens  28  relative to the coin tray  12  may, however, be varied. For example, to illuminate only a specific area of the coin tray  12 , the length of the lens  28  would be reduced to focus on that area.  
     [0014] A lighting element  30 , such as a fluorescent light bulb, is mounted above the wall  22  and preferably behind the artwork panel  24 . To uniformly illuminate the artwork panel  24 , the lighting element  30  preferably extends along most of the length of the artwork panel  24 . When the lighting element  30  is switched on, it illuminates both the artwork panel  24  and the coin tray  12 . The lens  28  bends and amplifies the light from the lighting element  30  as the light passes therethrough. Due to improved visibility of the illuminated coin tray  12 , the player can easily locate and collect coins in the coin tray  12 .  
     [0015] While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the lens  28  may be replaced with a curved mirror arrangement for amplifying and directing light from the lighting element  30  toward the coin tray  12 . Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims: