Electronic gaming machine having a reel assembly and method of making reel strips
A gaming system including a housing and a reel assembly supported by the housing, the reel assembly including reel having a reel strip manufactured using an inkjet printing process and having one or move designated symbols that can be revealed or hidden depending on the lighting of the reel strip.
1. An electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing;
a reel assembly supported by the housing, the reel assembly comprising a physical reel comprising a reel strip, the reel strip comprising:
an elongated strip comprising a front side and a back side,
a first layer comprising a coat of a first color on the back side of the elongated strip,
a second layer comprising a coat of a second color on a back side of the first layer and at an area of a hidden symbol of the reel strip, and
a third layer comprising a coat of the first color on a back side of the second layer at the area of the hidden symbol; and
back lighting supported by the housing and configured to selectively illuminate the hidden symbol to make the hidden symbol visible to a player at a first time and to make the hidden symbol not visible to the player at a subsequent second time.
2. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first color is white.
3. The electronic gaming machine of claim 2 , wherein the second layer comprises multiple coats of the second color.
4. The electronic gaming machine of claim 3 , wherein the third layer comprises multiple coats of the first color.
5. The electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , which comprises front lighting configured to selectively illuminate the reel strip at a first intensity level and to lower the first intensity level to co-act with the back lighting to make the hidden symbol visible to the player.
6. The electronic gaming machine of claim 5 , which comprises front lighting configured to selectively illuminate the reel strip at the first intensity level to make a non-hidden symbol on the reel strip visible to the player and to make the hidden symbol not visible to the player.
7. An electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing; and
a reel assembly supported by the housing, the reel assembly comprising a physical reel comprising a reel strip, the reel strip comprising:
an elongated strip comprising a front side and a back side,
a first layer comprising a coat of a first color on the back side of the elongated strip,
a second layer comprising a coat of a second color on a back side of the first layer in an area where a hidden symbol is formed in an integrated manner with a non-hidden symbol,
a third layer comprising a coat of a third color on a back side of the second layer except at the area of the hidden symbol, and
a fourth layer comprising a coat of a fourth color on a back side of the third layer except at the area of the hidden symbol and the non-hidden symbol.
8. The electronic gaming machine of claim 7 , wherein the first color is white.
9. The electronic gaming machine of claim 8 , wherein the fourth color is black.
10. The electronic gaming machine of claim 7 , wherein the first color and the third color are a same color.
11. The electronic gaming machine of claim 7 , wherein the third layer is also on the first layer.
12. The electronic gaming machine of claim 11 , wherein the fourth layer is also on the third layer.
13. The electronic gaming machine of claim 7 , which comprises back lighting configured to selectively illuminate the hidden symbol to make the hidden symbol visible to a player.
14. The electronic gaming machine of claim 13 , which comprises front lighting configured to selectively illuminate the reel strip at a first intensity level to make a non-hidden symbol on the reel strip visible to a plyer and to make the hidden symbol not visible to the player.
15. An electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing; and
a reel assembly supported by the housing, the reel assembly comprising a physical reel comprising a reel strip, the reel strip comprising:
an elongated strip comprising a front side and a back side,
a first layer comprising a coat of a first color on the back side of the elongated strip with an opening for a non-hidden symbol of the reel strip,
a second layer comprising a coat of a second color on the back side of the elongated strip in the opening,
a third layer comprising a coat of a third color on a back side of the first layer and a back side of the second layer except in an area of a hidden symbol of the reel strip, wherein the hidden symbol has no color, and
a fourth layer comprising a coat of a fourth color except in the area of the hidden symbol.
16. The electronic gaming machine of claim 15 , wherein the first color is white.
17. The electronic gaming machine of claim 16 , wherein the second layer does not comprise any opposing color to the first color.
18. The electronic gaming machine of claim 16 , wherein the fourth color is black.
19. The electronic gaming machine of claim 15 , wherein the first color and the third color are a same color.
20. The electronic gaming machine of claim 15 , which comprises back lighting configured to selectively illuminate the hidden symbol to make the hidden symbol visible to a player.