Abstract: A gaming or amusement machine has a dice or other multi-faceted symbol-carrying body which is in the region of a viewing station of the machine. The body is movable by drive means under the control of control means to present a known selected facet to the viewing station for viewing. One embodiment uses only a single motor and single sensor even though the body is movable about two different axes.

Abstract: A reel for a gaming or amusement machine has a support structure for supporting the reel strip of a significantly lower moment of inertia than a standard reel drum. This is achieved by making the reel strip of stiff material and supporting it only at spaced-apart points, and relying on the strip to support itself between the supported points. The reel support for the strip may be in the form of one or two spiders, each having a plurality of radial spokes. For further support for the strip a ring member may be provided connecting the ends of the spokes. If two such spiders are used, the ring members may be interconnected.

Abstract: In a reel for a fruit machine, a reel has standard symbols or fruit, on which secondary symbols, for example, numbers, are superimposed. The reel has a first, inner strip on which the standard symbols appear, the strip being carried by a reel drum. The secondary symbols appear on a second, outer strip glued to the first strip. The second strip is mostly transparent so that the standard symbols may be viewed with the secondary symbols superimposed on them.

Abstract: A reel for a gaming or amusement machine, of the type commonly known as a fruit machine, has a reel strip which has symbols at least partially within sunken regions of the reel strip. The symbols may be formed in relief in the sunken regions but do not project above a frame which surrounds the sunken regions. The surface of the frame may be arcuate, such that the reel is cylindrical in shape, or flat, such that the reel is polygonal.

Abstract: The level of a stack of coins in a stack tube is monitored by an ultrasonic transducer disposed above the stack tube. The transducer directs a train of ultrasonic pulses down towards the top of the stack and measures the transit time between the emitted and reflected pulses. The monitoring apparatus is particularly suitable for use in a gaming, amusement, vending or change machine which has a number of stack tubes from which coins are payed out by a payout device under the control of a control unit.

Abstract: In a gaming machine of the kind which selects a combination of symbols at random during each game and awards prizes when predetermined prize-winning combinations occur, a detector for detecting said prize-winning combinations of symbols comprising a first memory for storing information of each of a number of predetermined symbols which can occur in said selected combinations, a second memory storing information of each of a number of predetermined symbol occurence patterns which can occur in said selected combinations, a first set of comparators for comparing each of the symbols in a selected combination with each in turn of said predetermined symbols stored in said first memory so as to determine an occurrence pattern for each of said predetermined symbols, and a second set of comparators for comparing each determined occurrence pattern in turn with a number of predetermined occurrence patterns stored in said second memory which are associated with the predetermined symbol used for comparison in determining

Abstract: A reel for a gaming or amusement machine, of the type commonly known as a fruit machine, has a reel strip which has symbols at least partially within sunken regions of the .[.reel strip.]..Iadd.reel-strip.Iaddend..The symbols may be formed in relief in the sunken regions but do not project above a frame which surrounds the sunken regions. The surface of the frame may be arcuate, such that the reel is cylindrical in shape, or flat, such that the reel is polygonal.

Abstract: In a reel for a fruit machine, a reel has standard symbols or fruit, on which secondary symbols, for example, numbers, are superimposed. The reel has a first, inner strip on which the standard symbols appear, the strip being carried by a reel drum. The secondary symbols appear on a second, outer strip glued to the first strip. The second strip is mostly transparent so that the standard symbols may be viewed with the secondary symbols superimposed on them.

Abstract: A reel for a gaming or amusement machine has a support structure for supporting the reel strip of a significantly lower moment of inertia than a standard reel drum. This is achieved by making the reel strip of stiff material and supporting it only at spaced-apart points, and relying on the strip to support itself between the supported points. The reel support for the strip may be in the form of one or two spiders, each having a plurality of radial spokes. For further support for the strip a ring member may be provided connecting the ends of the spokes. If two such spiders are used, the ring members may be interconnected.