Universal reel backlight for reel-type gaming machines
View Patent ↗A reel backlight structure for a mechanical reel-type game includes an undifferentiated array of LED backlights. The rows of LEDs are closely spaced apart and may extend over an arc that encompasses both three vertical stop positions and four vertical stop positions. The LEDs are mounted on a flexible substrate that may be bent to match the radius of a reel strip and held in the desired radius with mounting attachment points.
1. A backlight assembly for a mechanical reel-type gaming machine, the backlight assembly including:
a board substrate, the board substrate (i) including a rectangular light-supporting region defining four corners and (ii) being flexible along a longitudinal axis thereof to allow the board substrate to assume any one of a number of different radii about a point spaced from the longitudinal axis perpendicular to a plane of the board substrate in a relaxed state;
a number of attachment openings, the number of attachment openings including a respective attachment opening at each respective corner of the rectangular light-supporting region;
a number of rows of illumination elements mounted on the board substrate in the light-supporting region, the rows of illumination elements extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate; and
a mounting bracket having a number of mounting stand-offs, each respective mounting stand-off operable to align with a respective one of the attachment openings and form an attachment therewith so that the light-supporting region of the board substrate is bent out of the planar, relaxed state and is forced to assume a desired radius.
2. The backlight assembly of claim 1 including twenty-four evenly spaced apart rows of illumination elements.
3. The backlight assembly of claim 1 further including a connector area of the board substrate, the connector area defining an additional rectangular region which extends from the light-supporting region and includes a respective additional attachment opening positioned at each corner of the additional rectangular region, and wherein the mounting bracket includes a number of additional mounting stand-offs, each respective additional mounting stand-off operable to align with a respective additional attachment opening and form an attachment therewith so that the connector area is bent out of the planar, relaxed state and is forced out of the desired radius assumed by the light-supporting region of the board substrate.
4. The backlight assembly of claim 3 wherein the connector area comprises a portion of the board substrate projecting from the rectangular light-supporting region such that the board substrate in the connector area has a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate that is less than the dimension of the rectangular light-supporting region of the board substrate in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate.
5. The backlight assembly of claim 1 wherein the illumination elements in adjacent rows are staggered by the length of approximately one illumination element along the axis of the respective row.
6. A backlight assembly for backlighting a mechanical reel-type game, the backlight assembly including:
a board substrate, the board substrate being flexible along a longitudinal axis thereof;
four attachment openings, each attachment opening located at a periphery of the board substrate;
a number of rows of LEDs extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate; and
a mounting bracket having a number of mounting stand-offs, each respective mounting stand-off operable to align with a respective one of the attachment openings and form an attachment therewith so that the board substrate is bent out of a planar, relaxed state and is forced to assume a desired radius.
7. The backlight assembly of claim 6 including twenty-four evenly spaced apart rows of LEDs.
8. The backlight assembly of claim 6 further including a connector area at one longitudinal end of the board substrate, the connector area including two or more additional attachment openings, each additional attachment opening corresponding to and forming an attachment with an additional mounting stand-off.
9. The backlight assembly of claim 8 wherein the connector area comprises a portion of the board substrate projecting from the portion of the board substrate defined by the four attachment openings such that the board substrate in the connector area has a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate that is less than the dimension of the remainder of the board substrate in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the board substrate.
10. The backlight assembly of claim 8 wherein the connector area of the board substrate extends at an angle to the remainder of the board substrate when the board substrate is attached to the mounting bracket at the mounting stand-offs and additional mounting stand-offs so that the connector area does not maintain the radius of curvature of the remainder of the board substrate.
11. The backlight assembly of claim 6 wherein the LEDs in adjacent rows are staggered by the length of approximately one LED along the axis of the respective row.
12. The backlight assembly of claim 8 wherein the connector area defines an additional rectangular region and a respective one of the additional attachment openings is positioned at each corner of the additional rectangular region.
13. The backlight assembly of claim 8 wherein the rows of LEDs do not extend into the connector area.
14. The backlight assembly of claim 3 wherein the rows of illumination elements do not extend into the connector area.