Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-18
2002-07-16
Tweel, John (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C273S14300R, C219S721000, C219S722000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06420972
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to gaming machines and more generally relates to a door-monitoring security alert for a gaming machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Casino operators rely on a variety of systems for maintaining casino security. Where gaming machines, such as slot machines, poker or other card game machines, keno machines, and the like are used, the machines themselves often contain various security measures to prevent casino guests and employees from tampering with or stealing from the gaming machines, and to alert casino operators when tampering or theft may have occurred.
Gaming machines have a variety of door types, which allow access to the machine to collect coins, make repairs, perform evaluations and updates, and so forth. One type of security measure alerts casino operators or disables gaming machines when the doors of machines have been opened. Some such devices run on power from the gaming machine, and if that power is interrupted or turned off, tampering or theft may go undetected. In addition, it is possible to tamper with some existing door monitor devices by opening the door, disabling the monitor, and then closing the door. With such a device, it is possible to open the door during a routine coin collection or machine evaluation and disable the monitor so that the door can be opened later to allow theft or tampering with the machine.
Door-monitoring devices often employ switches and electronic “latches” which indicate whether the switches have been activated. An electronic latch is a circuit which, having received one set of inputs, will continually give one predefined output until enacted upon by a “reset” set of inputs. In a door-monitoring application, for example, such a circuit will continue to show that a door has been opened or disable a machine after the door has been opened and then closed.
One type of prior art door-monitoring device
1
is shown in FIG.
1
. In this prior art device, a battery
2
is electrically connected through a resistor
12
to the “inverted-set” or “S-bar” input
6
of an electronic set/reset latch (“S/R latch”)
8
. The prior art device has a connection
10
through a switch
4
to ground
14
between the resistor
12
and the S-bar input
6
of the S/R latch
8
. The S/R latch
8
further contains an “inverted-reset” or “R-bar” input
16
coupled to a game microprocessor
22
, and a “Q” output
20
to the game microprocessor
22
. The S/R latch
8
is powered by a latch power supply
24
, which may be the battery
2
.
The prior art door-monitoring device
1
is designed so that the switch
4
is open when a door to be monitored is closed. When the door to be monitored is opened, the switch
4
closes, and current flows from the battery
2
, through the resistor
12
and through the switch
4
to ground
14
. This pulls the S-bar input
6
low, activating it. This gives an output signal at the Q output
20
, informing the game microprocessor
22
that the door has been opened. This output from the Q output will continue until the door is closed and the R-bar input
16
is activated. In a normal situation where a door would be opened, such as during machine maintenance or during collection from a gaming machine, the door would be closed afterward and the reset input
16
would be activated, thereby informing the game microprocessor
22
that the door has been properly closed. The R-bar input
16
may itself be activated (i.e., given a “0” input) by the game microprocessor
22
as shown in FIG.
1
.
The design of the prior art door-monitoring device
1
has a fault, in that if the connections
24
in the vicinity of the switch
4
are accidentally or intentionally broken at any point, the S-bar input
6
will always stay high and thus the S/R latch
8
will indicate that the door has been closed. Thus, when the R-bar input
16
is activated by the microprocessor
22
following the breaking of the connection
24
, the microprocessor
22
will receive a signal indicating that the door has been properly closed, even if the door is opened and closed a number of times following the breaking of the connection
24
. This design allows for a scenario wherein a gaming machine door is legitimately opened, with the connection
24
being broken while the door is opened. Once the R-bar input
16
is activated thereafter, unscrupulous persons could open and close the door at will to access coins or the inner workings of the gaming machine without the microprocessor
22
being automatically informed.
There exists a need for a door monitor for gaming machines which will continuously operate independent of the gaming machine power supply and which prevents the problem of tampering with the monitor while a gaming machine door is opened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a method and system for monitoring game machine doors which discloses when a door has been opened or when the door monitor has been tampered with.
A door-monitoring method and system according to the present invention uses a small amount of power and is capable of operating independent of a gaming machine power supply.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a normally-closed switch is used to indicate whether a door is open or closed. Utilizing such a switch, the switch is closed when the door is closed, and thus a circuit is completed. When the door is opened, the switch is opened and the circuit is broken, triggering an electronic latch output which indicates that the door has been opened. When the door is later closed, thereby closing the switch, the electronic latch output continues to indicate that the door has been opened until its reset input is activated. In one variation of this embodiment, the electronic latch output is coupled to a game controller and the game is disabled when the door has been opened or the monitor has been tampered with.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a door-monitoring signal is provided by a battery connected to an oscillator, which is then connected via a normally-closed switch to ground. In this embodiment, the oscillator assures that power from the battery is not dissipated quickly, but rather is capable of being used to produce a signal for an extended period of time. In one variation of this embodiment, one battery may be used to produce a signal for a year or more.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4556773 (1985-12-01), Yoshiyuki et al.
patent: 4596411 (1986-06-01), Geringer et al.
patent: 4795155 (1989-01-01), Grande
patent: 5224707 (1993-07-01), Martin
patent: 5616270 (1997-04-01), Park
patent: 5890439 (1999-04-01), McGunn
patent: 6066038 (2000-05-01), Sciortino et al.
Jenkens & Gilchrist
Tweel John
WMS Gaming Inc.
LandOfFree
Door monitor for a gaming machine does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Door monitor for a gaming machine, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Door monitor for a gaming machine will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2847614