Gaming and amusement machines and reels for them

Abstract

In a reel for a fruit machine, a reel has standard symbols or fruit, on which secondary symbols, for example, numbers, are superimposed. The reel has a first, inner strip on which the standard symbols appear, the strip being carried by a reel drum. The secondary symbols appear on a second, outer strip glued to the first strip. The second strip is mostly transparent so that the standard symbols may be viewed with the secondary symbols superimposed on them.

Description

the extent which is not more than the depth of the recess, thus staying at or below the level of the respective frame surfaces 29. The symbols 29 may have a substantially flat upper surface, such as the pound symbol of segment 22, or a dimpled or profiled surface such as the orange of segment 23.

The side walls 30 are segments of a circle and when the strip 20 is in use (see FIG. 8) the frame surfaces 25 lie in a common cylinder, with the side walls 25 being segments of a first or a second circle (depending upon which side of the segments the walls are provided).

The reel-strips of FIGS. 2 to 4 and 7 and 8 can be mounted readily on a support element of skeletal form having ring members 8 connected at regular intervals by transverse cross-members 9 (FIGS. 5 and 6). In this arrangement the sunken surrounding regions 6 which "frame" the symbols 5 can be positively located between the cross-members 9, thus locating accurately the position of the symbols on the support element. The support element need have only one ring provided with transverse support means, and/or could comprise a dished plate.

FIG. 9 shows a transparent film or strip 50 formed into a ring 51. The ring 51 is part transparent, but carries numbers 52 indicative in use of the number of credit points a user obtains when the number appears in the win line, or lines, of a gaming or amusement machine. The ring 51 also has an opaque region 53 with a symbol 54 printed on it. An alternative version of the ring has no opaque region.

In use the ring 51 is applied over a reel of a fruit machine with the numbers 52 superimposed over selected fruit. Thus the user sees the number and fruit together, but the manufacture of the reel is made easier since all the fruit of one kind ran be identical without having to take into account what "bonus" or credit point value they will have to display.

The ring 51 is applied in use over reels using any of the reel-strips shown in FIGS. 1 to 8.

FIG. 10 shows a strip similar to that of FIG. 9, but with no opaque region, applied over the reel-strip of FIGS. 7 and 8, and using a spider, comprising support means, to hold the strip in a cylindrical configuration. The spider comprises radial arms 60 connected to a hub 61 and to transverse cross-members 62. The strip 50 is positioned over the strip 20 and secured relative to it (for example by gluing it, welding it, or by means of complementary formations) and the combined two layer strip formed into a closed ring. Alternatively the strip 50 could be formed into a ring and then applied over the strip 20. There may be no need to provide any positive location of the ring 81 relative to the strip 20.

A strip similar to strip 50 could of course be used in conjunction with conventional flat strips or films having fruit printed on them, with savings in the number of different types of fruit prints needed.

The number strip could be provided alongside the fruit strip, instead of one superimposed above the other.

Claims

1. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a first reel strip, a second reel strip, and a support structure, said support structure supporting said first reel strip and said second reel strip in a curved configuration, said second reel strip overlies said first reel strip and said first reel strip and said second reel strip being provided with indicia or symbols, wherein the symbols on said first and second reel strips are superimposed said first reel strip and said second reel strip are fixed in position relative to one another on said support structure, wherein the symbols on said first reel strip and the symbols on said second reel strip remain in a fixed superimposed position relative to one another at all times.

2. A reel according to claim 1, wherein said first reel strip has profiled symbols formed in or on it in three dimensions.

3. A reel according to claim 1, wherein said first reel strip has a uniformly smooth surface and has said symbols printed upon it.

4. A reel according to claim 1, wherein said first and said second reel strips are secured to each other.

5. A reel according to claim 1, wherein said second reel strip is transparent except for its symbols or indicia, and in that all of said symbols or indicia of said first strip can be identified despite the presence of said indicia or symbols of said second strip.

6. A reel strip for use in forming a reel in accordance with claim 1, said reel strip being generally transparent but carrying symbols or indicia and being adapted to be applied over or alongside an existing reel or reel strip.

7. A gaming or amusement machine which includes a reel in accordance with claim 1.

8. A method of forming a reel for gaming or amusement machines comprising taking a reel strip in accordance with claim . .9.!. 1 and applying it to a reel.

9. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a first reel strip, a second reel strip, and a support structure, said support structure supporting said first reel strip and said second reel strip in a curved configuration, said first reel strip and said second reel strip being provided with indicia or symbols, wherein the arrangement is such that at at least one angular position of said reel said first reel strip and said second reel strip each have indicia, one of said indicia on said second reel strip being superimposed upon one of said indicia on said first reel strip at said one angular position and said superimposed symbols being simultaneously visible at all times when registered with a viewing window of said amusement or gaming machine.

10. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a first reel strip, a second reel strip, and a support structure, said support structure supporting said first reel strip and said second reel strip in a curved configuration, said first reel strip and said second reel strip being provided with indicia or symbols, wherein said second reel strip overlies said first reel strip, said second reel strip is generally transparent and the arrangement is such that at at least one angular position of said reel said first reel strip and said second reel strip each have indicia, at least some of said indicia on said first reel strip being visible through said second reel strip.

11. A reel for a gaming or amusement machine comprising a first reel strip, a second reel strip, and a support structure, said support structure supporting said first reel strip and said second reel strip in a curved configuration, said second reel strip overlies said first reel strip and said first reel strip and said second reel strip being provided with indicia or symbols, wherein the symbols on said first and second reel strips are preimposed and said first reel strip and said second reel strip are fixed in position relative to one another, wherein the symbols on said first reel strip and the symbols on said second reel strip remain in a fixed superimposed position relative to one another at all times said first reel strip is provided with sunken regions, said indicia or symbols being provided in said sunken regions.

12. A two layer reel strip for use in a reel or a gaming or amusement machine comprising a first reel strip and a second reel strip, said second reel strip being positioned above said first reel strip, said first and said second reel strip being provided with indicia or symbols, wherein said first reel strip and said second reel strip are fixed relative to one another wherein the symbols on said first reel strip and the symbols on said second reel strip remain in a fixed superimposed position relative to one another at all times.