Reel strip attachment
View Patent ↗A releasable reel strip attachment assembly including an attachment strip with snap rivets that snaps through corresponding apertures in a reel strip and into apertures in a reel cage. The attachment strip includes an adhesive layer protected by a release backing that is removed to expose the adhesive layer. The reel strip is positioned over the reel cage so that the apertures in the reel strip co-align with those of the reel cage, and the snap rivets are inserted through the aligned apertures to attach the reel strip to the reel cage in a reliable, precise, and consistent manner. The reel strip is wound around the reel cage and the free end of the reel strip is pressed onto the exposed adhesive layer of the attachment strip.
1. A reel cage comprising:
a frame having at least one registration aperture;
a reel strip having at least one reel strip aperture positioned to co-align with said at least one registration aperture;
an attachment strip having an adhesive layer on one side and an opposite, non-adhesive side having at least one protruding member extending from said non-adhesive side, wherein said at least one protruding member is positioned to pass through said at least one reel strip aperture to engage said at least one registration aperture such that said attachment strip secures said reel strip to said frame; and
wherein said reel strip winds around said frame to contact said adhesive layer.
2. The reel cage of claim 1 , wherein said reel strip further includes a release backing, the release backing being removable to expose said adhesive layer.
3. The reel cage of claim 1 , wherein said frame has a first registration aperture and a second registration aperture, said reel strip has a first reel strip aperture and a second reel strip aperture, said attachment strip has a first protruding member and a second protruding member, and said first protruding member and said second protruding member are positioned to pass through said first and second reel strip apertures, respectively, to engage said first and second registration apertures.
4. The reel cage of claim 1 , wherein said frame has a substantially circular shape; and said reel strip has a length at least equal to a circumference of said frame.
5. The reel cage of claim 1 , wherein said protruding member is a snap rivet.
6. The reel cage of claim 1 , said reel strip having a bottom edge and a top edge, said at least one reel strip aperture being positioned proximate said bottom edge, said adhesive layer of said attachment strip being proximate said top edge when said strip is secured to said frame.
7. The reel of claim 3 , wherein said attachment strip secures said reel strip to said frame while aligning said reel strip circumferentially on said frame.
8. A method of releasably attaching a reel strip to a reel cage, the method comprising:
aligning a reel strip aperture of said reel strip with a corresponding registration aperture of a frame of said reel cage;
fastening one end of said reel strip to said reel cage with an attachment strip, said attachment strip having an adhesive layer fixed to one side and at least one protruding member fixed to and extending from a non-adhesive, opposite side, said protruding member being positioned to pass through said reel strip aperture to engage said registration aperture; and
winding said reel strip around said reel cage to contact said adhesive layer.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising removing a release backing from said attachment strip to reveal said adhesive layer.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising detaching said reel strip from said reel by disengaging said protruding member from said registration aperture.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
fastening one end of a second reel strip to said reel cage with a second attachment strip, said second attachment strip having an adhesive layer on one side and an opposite, non-adhesive side having at least one protruding member extending from said non-adhesive side, wherein said at least one protruding member is positioned to pass through said second reel strip to engage said reel cage; and
winding said second reel strip around said reel cage to contact said adhesive layer on said second attachment strip.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein said reel strip has a bottom edge and a top edge, said reel strip aperture being positioned proximate said bottom edge, and said adhesive layer of said attachment strip being proximate said top edge when said reel strip is wound around said reel cage to contact said adhesive layer.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein only one of said bottom edge and top edge is adhesively-connected to the attachment strip.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein said securing results in the free end of said reel strip lying generally flush against said reel strip.
15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising, prior to said attaching, orienting said reel strip to be in a display-viewable direction.
16. The method of claim 8 , further comprising installing said reel cage into a gaming device that displays a wagering game in response to receiving a wager from a player.