Gaming machine with interchangeable reel display arrangement
View Patent ↗A slot machine comprises a housing, a plurality of physical symbol-bearing reels mounted in the housing, and a display arrangement positioned in front of the reels and interchangeable in the same housing between at least two of the following: (i) a display panel without an interior cavity, (ii) a light-guiding panel having an illuminated interior, and (iii) a transmissive video display.
1. A slot machine comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of physical symbol-bearing reels mounted in the housing; and
a display arrangement positioned in front of the reels and interchangeable in the same housing between at least two of the following:
(i) a display panel without an interior cavity, the display panel having first windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the physical symbol-bearing reels through the first windows,
(ii) a light-guiding panel having an illuminated interior defined by opposing front and rear surfaces, the light-guiding panel having second windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the symbol-bearing reels through the second windows, the light-guiding panel including an outer edge to receive light from a peripheral light source and transmit the light through the interior, and
(iii) a transmissive video display, the transmissive video display having third windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the symbol-bearing reels through the third windows, the transmissive video display configured to provide video images having levels of transmissivity varying between transparent and opaque;
whereby any of the display arrangements can be used with the physical symbol-bearing reels.
2. The machine of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a door coupled for movement between an open position and a closed position, the display arrangement being mounted to the door.
3. The machine of claim 2 , wherein the door includes a bezel, each of the display panel and the light-guiding panel being interchangeably mountable to the same bezel.
4. The machine of claim 2 , wherein the door includes a bezel, each of the display panel, the light-guiding panel, and the transmissive video display being interchangeably mountable to the same bezel.
5. The machine of claim 4 , further including an adapter for mounting the transmissive video display to the bezel.
6. The machine of claim 1 , wherein the transmissive video display includes a transmissive liquid crystal display.
7. An interchangeable reel display arrangement for a slot machine, the slot machine including a housing and a plurality of physical symbol-bearing reels mounted in the housing, the display arrangement being positioned in front of the reels and interchangeable in the same housing between at least two of the following:
(i) a display panel without an interior cavity, the display panel having first windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the physical symbol-bearing reels through the first windows,
(ii) a light-guiding panel having an illuminated interior, defined by opposing front and rear surfaces, the light-guiding panel having second windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the symbol-bearing reels through the second windows, the light-guiding panel including an outer edge to receive light from a peripheral light source and transmit the light through the interior, and
(iii) a transmissive video display, the transmissive video display having third windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the symbol-bearing reels through the third windows, the transmissive video display configured to provide video images having levels of transmissivity varying between transparent and opaque;
whereby any of the display arrangements can be used with the physical symbol-bearing reels.
8. The arrangement of claim 7 , wherein the housing includes a door coupled for movement between an open position and a closed position, the display arrangement being mounted to the door.
9. The arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the door includes a bezel, each of the display panel and the light-guiding panel being interchangeably mountable to the same bezel.
10. The arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the door includes a bezel, each of the display panel, the light-guiding panel, and the transmissive video display being interchangeably mountable to the same bezel.
11. The arrangement of claim 10 , further including an adapter for mounting the transmissive video display to the bezel.
12. The arrangement of claim 7 , wherein the transmissive video display includes a transmissive liquid crystal display.
13. A method of modifying a slot machine, the slot machine including a housing and a plurality of physical symbol-bearing reels mounted in the housing, the method comprising:
providing a display arrangement positioned in front of the physical symbol-bearing reels and selected from a group of arrangement types consisting of (i) a display panel without an interior cavity, (ii) a light-guiding panel having an illuminated interior defined by opposing front and rear surfaces, the light-guiding panel including an outer edge to receive light from a peripheral light source and transmit the light through the interior, and (iii) a transmissive video display, the transmissive video display configured to provide video images having levels of transmissivity varying between transparent and opaque; and
replacing, in the same housing, the display arrangement with another display arrangement of a different arrangement type in said group of arrangement types, whereby each of the display arrangements includes windows aligned with respective ones of the physical symbol-bearing reels to permit viewing of the physical symbol-bearing reels through the windows.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the housing includes a door coupled for movement between an open position and a closed position, the display arrangement being mounted to the door.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the door includes a bezel, each of the display panel and the light-guiding panel being interchangeably mountable to the same bezel.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the door includes a bezel, each of the display panel, the light-guiding panel, and the transmissive video display being interchangeably mountable to the same bezel.
17. The method of claim 16 , further including providing an adapter for mounting the transmissive video display to the bezel when the replacing step includes replacing the display arrangement with the transmissive video display.