WO2015058235A1

WO2015058235A1 - An apparatus for a gaming machine

Info

Publication number: WO2015058235A1
Application number: PCT/AU2014/000971
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rohan LIYANARATCHI
Original assignee: Liyanaratchi Rohan
Priority date: 2013-10-24
Filing date: 2014-10-15
Publication date: 2015-04-30

Abstract

An accessory device (20) for an electronic gaming machine (10), comprising : a mount member (22) removably mountabte to said gaming machine (10); an arm member (24) extending from the mount member (22) and configured to be positionable with respect to a button (12) of the electronic gaming machine (10); a finger member (28) mountabte to a free end of the arm (24) and actuable to be extended so as to depress the button ( 12) upon receipt of a signal from a player (5) of the electronic gaining machine (10); and a remote control member (30) carried by the player (5) and configured to transmit said signal to the finger member (28) to cause the button (12) to depress.

Description

AN APPARATUS FOR A GAMING MACHINE

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for use with an electronic gaming machine, and in particular, to an apparatus configured to assist in controlling an electronic gaming machine in a more convenient and user friendl manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic gaming machines come in a variety of different types and styles and offer a variety of different entertainment experiences. For the young, or young at heart, computer games are packaged within machines for arcade style gaining. Whilst for the older generation, gaming machines are provided that facilitate gambling, such as slot machines or poker style machines.

In any event, for most electronic gaming machines, the players interact with the game through one or more buttons provided on a surface of the machine. The player typically presses the button in order to control the game play, either by causing an icon on a screen of the machine to move on a desired direction, or to determining a size or type of wager to be placed on an outcome being displayed by the machine. Most such machines employ buttons that project above a surface of the machine and are able to be depressed or otherwise activated by a player seated at the machine to activate a game on the machine,

Due to the overall configuration of most gaming machines of the type which facilitate gambling, the controlling buttons are typically placed on a surface of the machine that are difficult to access by seated players. Typically, players seated at the machine, must lean forward and reach out to operate the buttons, As players may be seated at such machines for a considerable period of time, the act of playing the gaming machine may be particularly uncomfortable and prone to fatigue as there is n support for the player's arm. This is exacerbated further when the player is elderly or has reduced mobility and muscle control.

Therefore, there is a need to provide an apparatus that can be used by a player of a gaming machine to provide a more comfortable and user friendly playing experience.

The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as. statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art, In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understandin of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identi fication of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part,

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and/or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a An accessory device for an electronic gaming machine, comprising:

a moun member removably mountabie to said gaming machine; an arm member extending from the mount member and configured to be pGsitionable with respect to a button of the electronic gaming machine;

a finger member mountabie to a free end of the arm and actuable to be extended so as to depress the button upon receipt of a signal from a player of the electronic gaming machine: and

a remote control member carried by the player and configured to transmit said signal to the finger member to cause the button to depress.

The mount member may be mountabie to the gaming machine by way a suction cup means.

The arm member may be formed from a pliable material so as to be positionable with respect to the button. The arm member may be pivotally mounted to the mount member. The arm member may comprise an elongate wire member made from a malleable material having memory shape retention.

The finger member may be mounted to a solenoid actuator provided on the free end of the arm. The finge member may be formed on a distal end of a plunger member of the solenoid actuator.

The solenoid actuator ma comprise an energy source to facilitate actuation thereof The solenoid actuato receives energy from the remote control member to facilitate actuation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:

Fig. 1 is side view of a conventional gaming machine being played in a convent! onal manner;

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of a gaming machine employing the accessory device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is an isolated view of the accessory .device of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of a conventional gaming machine being played with the accessory device of Fig. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention.

The present invention wi l be described below in relation to its application for use with a gambling gaming machine, such as a slot machine or an electronic poker gaming machine having buttons for placing bets and controlling game play. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention could be equally applicable for use with any type of electronic machine having buttons for controlling the operation of the machine,, with the buttons requiring constant pressing by a user of that machine.

Referring to Fig. I, a gaming machine 10 is depicted being played by a player 5 in a conventional manner. As shown, the player 5 is seated in a chair 2 for playing the machine 10. The chair 2 is typically positioned a predetermined distance away from the machine 10 such that the player 5 needs to lean forward in the chair 2 and extend their arm to contact the control buttons 12, as shown. Due to the overall shape of the machine 10 with the coin collection tray 14 extending into the player's leg space, it is generally not possible to move the chair 2 closer to the machine 10 to address this issue. Further, as the chairs 2 are generally quite heavy and in some instances may be fixed to the floor, should a player 5 wish to be seated to play the game, they are typically left with little alternative but to assume the playing position as shown in Figure 1, which may lead to back pain as well as arm pain and fatigue;, as a result of the lack of support provided to the player.

Referring to Figure 2, a front view of a gaming machine 10 incorporating the accessory 20 of the present inventio is shown. The machine 10 comprises a display screen 16 for displaying game information to the player and a plurality of buttons 12 are provided which enable the player to select, various game options or betting options as required. Typically, each time a player wishes to play the game, the layer mus press one of the buttons 12 i accordance with their desired playing option.

To assist the player in playing the machine 10, an accessory 20 is mounted to the surface of the machine 1.0 adjacent the buttons 12. The accessory 20 is shown in isolation in Fig. 3.

The accessory 20 comprises a mounting member 22 that is mounted to the body of the machine 10 (Fig. 2) in the area adjacent the location of the buttons 12 , The mount member 22 generally comprises a body having an undersurface 23 that is able to engage or otherwise adhere to the surface of the machine 10. In the embodiment as shown in Fig, 3, the undersurface 23 of the mount member 22 comprises suction cup arrangement that is able to adhere to the smooth surface of the machine 10 through suction forces such that it can be fixed in position with respect to the buttons 12, as desired. It will be appreciated that the mount member 22 may include a means (not shown) for initiating and releasing the suction cup arrangement to facilitate removal and reattachment of the accessory as desired.

An arm member 24 extends from the mount member 22 in a pivotal manner as shown. The ami member 24 may be free to pivot about connection point 25 formed on the bod of the mount member 22 such that the angle of extension of the ami member 24 from the mount member 22 can be adjusted as required. The arm member 24 is also bendable and malleable along its length to enable the arm member to be formed into position. In this regard, the arm member 24 may be formed by a wire or similar material having a degree of shape retention such that enables bending and repositioning of the arm member 24 as required.

A cylinder 26 is mounted to the free end of the arm member 24 as shown. The cylinder 26 houses a solenoid coil member (not shown) which is in communication with an electrical source such as a battery or the like. A plunger member 27 is mounted within the cylinde 26 and is formed from a suitable material such as iron or steel. The distal end of the plunger member .27 is configured to form a finger member 28 that is capable of contacting the buttons 12 of the gaming machine 10 so as to depress the buttons. In this regard, the finger member 28 may be provided with a coating such as rubber or the like so as to provide forceful contact with, the buttons 12 to cause the buttons 12 to be depressed and thus activate the machine 10.

The cylinder 26 and plunger 27 function in the form of a solenoid actuator whereby, by passing an electxie current through the coil member of the cylinder 26 an induced magnetic field is created to cause the plunger to move in a desired direction (arrow A) to depress the button 12 with the finger member 28. It will be appreciated that whilst a solenoid actuation device is depicted in the arrangement of the accessory 20 shown in Fig, 3, other means for remotely depressing the button 12 are also envisaged.

In order to control the finger member 28 of the accessory 20_s a control device 30 is provided. The control device 30 is configured to be earned by the player in their hand and has a button 32 which can be depressed, by the player to indicate that the button 12 on the machine 10 is to be activated. The control device 30 comprises a processor (not shown) that is capable of detecting when the button 32 has been depressed and sending a signal to activate the solenoid coil in the cylinder 26 so as to facilitate movement of the finger member 28 into contact with the button 12. The control device 30 may comprise a transmitter (not shown) to facilitate wireless transmission of the signal to a receiver associated with the solenoid coil in the cylinder 26. Alternatively, a wired connection (not shown) may be provided between the control device 30 and the solenoid coil in the cylinder 26 to facilitate transmission of a control signal therebetween as well as power to energise the solenoid coil.

By depressing the button 32 of the remote control device 30 the finger member 28 is configured to extend and retract i a single action. In this regard, should the player hold down the button 32 on the remote control device 30, the finger member 28 will only depress the button once, tliereby reducing the likelihood of the player making any undesired button selections,

As is shown in Fig, 4, the apparatus of the present invention provides for a more user friendly means for playing the gaming machine 10 that reduces fatigue associated with reaching forward from a sitting position to depress the buttons 12, By positioning the accessory 20 on the machine 10 such that it is positioned over the desired button 12, the player 5 is able to sit back on their seat 2 in a comfortable position and merely depress the button 32 provided on the remote control device 30 which causes the accessory 20 to activate the desired button 12. The player can repeat this process until such time as the player wishes to leave the machine 10 or change buttons 12. If the player 5 wishes to change buttons 12 they merely reposition the arm membe 24 of the device so as to locate the finger member 28 over the desired button and return to their seat to activate the button via the remote control device 30. Alternatively, should the player wish to cease playing the machine, the player 5 can merely disengage the mount member 22 from the surface of the machine 10 and take the accessory with them to a new machine or away from the gaming venue.

It will be appreciated that the accessory of the present invention can be provided to players at a venue for aiding those players that require assistance, or may be purchased b the player and carried in the player's handbag or the like for use as required.

Throughout the specification and claims the word "comprise" and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word "comprise" and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features mat it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context, requires otherwise. it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from tire spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

An accessory device for an electronic gaming machine, comprising: a mount member removably moun table to said gaming machine: an arm member extending from the mount member and configured to be positionab!e with respect to a button of the electronic gaming machine; a finger member momitable to a free end of the arm and aetuabie to be extended so as to depress the button upon receipt of a signal from a player of the electronic gaming machine; and a remote control member carried by the player and configured to transmit said signal to the finger member to cause the button to depress.

An accessory device for an electronic gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the mount member is mountable to the gaming machine by wa a suction cup means.

An accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the arm member is formed from a pliable material so as to be positionabie with respect to the button.

An accessory device according to claim 3, wherein the arm member is pivotal y mounted to the mount member.

An accessory device according to claim 3, wherein the arm member comprises an elongate wire member made from a malleable material having memory shape retention.

An accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the finger member is mounted to a solenoid actuator provided on the free end of the arm.

An accessory device according to claim 6 wherein the finger member is formed o a distal end of a plunger member of the solenoid actuator.

An accessory device according to claim 7. wherein the solenoid actuator comprises an energy source to facilitate actuation thereof

9. An accessory device according to claim 7, wherein the solenoid actuator receives energy from the remote control member to facilitate actuation thereof.