Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-09
2003-11-18
Dolinar, Andrew M. (Department: 3747)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648761
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to coupon issuing technology, in particular to method and apparatus for issuing coupons indicative of monetary value corresponding to an amount of prize money that a player has won in a gaming machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY
When a player wins games with a gaming machine in a gambling establishment such as a casino, a bill dispenser connected with the gaming machine dispenses bills or currency corresponding to an amount of prize money that the player wins. However, in most cases, the bill dispenser runs short of bills contained therein and therefore fails to dispense the required amount of bills because it does not have its large capacity for storing plenty of bills to dispense. Typically, the bill dispenser is not so designed to have a bill recycling system wherein bills inserted into the gaming machine can be transported to and dispensed from a dispensing tray of the bill dispenser as prize money. Accordingly, plenty of bills must always be supplied to the bill dispenser to surely dispense the required amount of bills corresponding to prize money for the win games.
In another aspect, when bills are supplied to the bill dispenser, a clerk of the casino must do troublesome operations that comprises the steps of reserving plenty of bills; unlocking and opening a door of the gaming machine; removing a stacker from the bill dispenser in the gaming machine; unlocking the stacker; supplying plenty of bills in the stacker; locking and attaching the stacker in the bill dispenser; and closing and locking the door of the gaming machine. To this end, the casino must always reserve a vast number of bills in the bill dispensers, and give the thorough and strict security protection for bills against theft upon replenishment with bills of the bill dispenser in the gaming machines. To solve these problems, a proposal has been made that a bill dispenser in a casino can safely and easily pay out cashable tokens, coupons or scrip of a certain kind corresponding to the prize money of win games without using real bills.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,033 to Harold G. Bittner et al. discloses a gaming machine which contains a vast number of game coupons each bearing a legend or prize code key printed on the front side. These game coupons are contained in coupon magazines for distribution, however no printer is provided in the gaming machine so that it cannot print a required monetary amount on the game coupons upon issuance. Also, International Publication No. WO 94/16781 shows a gaming apparatus which comprises a slot machine capable of accepting either paper currency preprinted coupons or cash out slips. The slot machine also includes a printer that prints and dispenses cash out slips which include a bar code representing a unique identification that provides the amount of “winnings”. However, this printer is not used to prepare valuable coupons.
Thus, the known typical bill dispenser can provide a player with only a kind of bills or tokens so that it tends to lack in bills due to absence of large denomination bills or tokens in it, and therefore a clerk must always replenish a supply of bills or coupons at apparently dangerous work to carry bills or coupons to gaming machines and fill the bill dispenser up with them.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide method and apparatus for issuing coupons indicative of monetary value corresponding to an amount of prize money that a player has acquired in a gaming machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide method and apparatus for issuing valuable coupons for a gaming machine to prevent emission of improper or invalid coupons.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide method and apparatus for issuing coupons for and around a gaming machine.
A further object of the instant invention is to provide method and apparatus for promptly issuing coupons each which represents a corresponding monetary value printed thereon to an amount of prize money that a player wins in a gaming machine at player's request.
DISCLOSURE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Applied to a gaming machine (
80
) is the method for issuing coupons according to the present invention which comprises the steps of accumulating blank coupons in a hopper (
2
); forwarding an issue command from the gaming machine (
80
) to an issue control circuit (
30
); driving a conveyer means (
20
) by outputs from the issue control circuit (
30
) to draw a blank coupon from the hopper (
2
) to a passageway (
14
); transporting the blank coupon along the passageway (
14
) to a printing area (
15
) provided with a printer (
19
); activating the printer (
19
) by outputs from the issue control circuit (
30
) to print gaming information on the moving blank coupon and thereby prepare a valuable coupon; and dispensing the coupon from an outlet (
23
) of the passageway (
14
).
According to the present invention, the valuable coupon can easily be issued at player's request by printing monetary value on a blank coupon. Each valuable coupon may bear the printed information representing the monetary value corresponding to an amount of prize money that a player has gained in the gaming machine. The monetary values to be printed on the blank coupon may be different every win game the players have done so that the printer can print various monetary values on the coupon payable to the players without storage or supply of bills in the gaming machine.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the method may comprise converting by a transducer (
18
) the gaming information printed on the coupon into electrical signals; forwarding the signals from the transducer (
18
) to the issue control circuit (
30
); confirming in the issue control circuit (
30
) based on the signals from the transducer (
18
) whether the coupon is proper; dispensing the coupon from the outlet (
23
) of the passageway (
14
) after the issue control circuit (
30
) confirms that the coupon is proper; and preventing distribution of the coupon when the issue control circuit (
30
) decides that the coupon is improper.
The confirming process includes deciding that the proper coupon bears the correctly printed gaming information or is composed of a single sheet drawn from the hopper (
2
); or that the improper coupon includes the incorrectly printed gaming information or is composed of double sheets drawn from the hopper (
2
). After the preceding blank coupon is transferred to the printing area
15
, extraction of a next blank coupon from the hopper (
2
) is barred.
The coupon is transferred from the printing area (
15
) to a stand-by area (
16
) where it temporarily is held for confirmation by the issue control circuit (
30
) on whether the coupon in the stand-by area (
16
) is proper. In this case, when the issue control circuit (
30
) confirms that the coupon is proper, it is carried from the stand-by area (
16
) through a pay-out area (
17
) to the outlet (
23
). Adversely, when the issue control circuit (
30
) decides the coupon as improper, it is conveyed from the stand-by area (
16
) to a reject chamber (
28
) for storage, and a new coupon preferably is reissued by outputs of the issue control circuit (
30
).
In the embodiment of the invention, a deflection device (
25
) is provided between the printing area (
15
) and stand-by area (
16
) at a junction of the printing area (
15
) and the pay-out area (
17
). The deflection device (
25
) is movable between a rest position for opening the printing area (
15
) and closing the pay-out area (
17
), and a shift position for closing the printing area (
15
) and opening the pay-out area (
17
). When the moving coupon passes through the deflection device (
25
), a leading edge of the moving coupon forcibly pushes a deflector (
26
) of the deflection device (
25
) from the rest position to the shift position. The method according to the invention may comprise cutting a continuous paper into a card-like or sheet-like blank coupon of given length by a cutter means (
60
) on the passageway (
14
). The gaming in
Izawa Hikaru
Matsunaga Kensuke
Uemizo Yoshiaki
Bachman & LaPointe P.C.
Dolinar Andrew M.
Japan Cash Machine Co. Ltd.
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