Abstract: In a gaming establishment, a player feeds a general purpose charge card such as a VISA, MasterCard or AMERICAN EXPRESS card to a reader at a gaming machine or enters on a keyboard or other input device, information relating to the general purpose charge card, and keys in a desired amount of playing credit and optionally, a PIN (personal identification number) for automatic transmission to a remote financial institution (VISA or other charge card facility) either directly or through an intermediate transaction processing facility. Also transmitted are an identification of the gaming machine and the gaming operator. Upon approval of the requested playing credit, the gaming machine is enabled and thereafter a running net (balance) is kept for the player and/or each machine and/or the gaming operator by accounting for win-lose-draws.

Abstract: A player feeds a general purpose charge card, such as a VISA, MasterCard or AMERICAN EXPRESS card, or an account identification to a reader at a gaming machine or enters on a keyboard or other input device, information relating to the general purpose charge card or account identification for transmission to a transaction processing facility. The processing facility associates the account information with a gaming account and determines whether to grant a user request. If the request is granted, the gaming machine is enabled and thereafter one or more running net credit balances are kept by accounting for win-lose-draws. After the playing session is over, net playing credit information is automatically transmitted to the transaction processing facility.

Abstract: In a gaming establishment, a player feeds a general purpose charge card such as a VISA, MasterCard or AMERICAN EXPRESS card to a reader at a gaming machine or enters on a keyboard or other input device, information relating to the general purpose charge card, and keys in a desired amount of playing credit and optionally, a PIN (personal identification number) for automatic transmission to a remote financial institution (VISA or other charge card facility) either directly or through an intermediate transaction processing facility. Also transmitted are an identification of the gaming machine and the gaming operator. Upon approval of the requested playing credit, the gaming machine is enabled and thereafter a running net (balance) is kept for the player and/or each machine and/or the gaming operator by accounting for win-lose-draws.

Abstract: In a casino, a player feeds a general purpose charge card such as a VISA, MasterCard or AMERICAN EXPRESS card to a reader at a slot machine or other gaming machine, and keys in a desired amount of playing credit and a PIN (personal identification number) for automatic transmission to a remote financial institution (VISA or other charge card facility) either directly or through an intermediate transaction processing facility. Also transmitted are an identification of the gaming machine and the casino. Upon approval of the requested playing credit, the gaming machine is enabled and thereafter a running net (balance) is kept for the player and/or each machine and/or casino in which the playing credit is used by accounting for win-lose-draws.

Abstract: A coil spring is provided for use in biasing opposing piston portions of a brake cylinder away from each other. The spring includes a body portion formed of a length of alloy wire and including adjacent coils spaced from each other defining a cylindrical helix. A pair of end portions are formed integrally with the body portion and include a plurality of coils positioned in contact with each other and defining a conical helix shape for engaging the opposing piston portions of the brake cylinder.

Abstract: A mockup device interfaces directly with the keyboard port of a desktop (personal) computer and requires no additional or specialized adapter. A hardware mockup of an aircraft cockpit control panel, including instruments, switches and control yoke, includes an interface unit through which digital signals that replicate keystroke sequences employed by flight simulation application software are generated. The interface unit is coupled with and responds to the physical manipulation of the control elements of the cockpit control panel mockup, so that control panel manipulative action of the computer user `pilot` causes the generation and delivery of keystroke representative signals to the keyboard port of the computer. In response to these keystroke representative signals the flight simulation software that has been loaded into the computer controls the flight simulation display just as though the user were operating the system directly from the keyboard.