Abstract: An improved gaming machine having a touch screen applied to an outer face of a CRT display and a limited number of push-button actuators. Either the touch screen or the push-button actuators can be used for controlling play as well as selecting one of several games that can be played on the machine. By using a touch screen on the video display device, the player of the game of the machine can use either the touch screen or the push-button actuators to change the playable game elements, such as discarding and drawing new cards when playing poker. The touch screen and associated electronics are arranged and programmed so that multiple touch fields are defined on the surface of the screen, which, by manually touching, can be used for playing games, such as keno, which require more actuators than there are push buttons on the machine.

Abstract: An improved gaming machine having a touch screen applied to an outer face of a CRT display and a limited number of push-button actuators. Either the touch screen or the push-button actuators can be used for controlling play as well as selecting one of several games that can be played on the machine. By using a touch screen on the video display device, the player of the game of the machine can use either the touch screen or the push-button actuators to change the playable game elements, such as discarding and drawing new cards when playing poker. The touch screen and associated electronics are arranged and programmed so that multiple touch fields are defined on the surface of the screen, which, by manually touching, can be used for playing games, such as keno, which require more actuators than there are push buttons on the machine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for verifying the contents of a storage device. A number of steps are involved in performing the verification. First, non-sequential data is written into each unused memory location of the storage device. Then, a non-associative technique is performed on contents of each memory location in the storage device starting at a randomly determined address in the storage device. Next, a final value from the non-associative technique is provided to a confirmation device for comparison with a set of predetermined resulting values. Then, the final value is compared to a resulting value, the resulting value being predetermined by applying the non-associative technique to pre-programmed contents of the storage device. Finally, one of two signals is generated. A first signal is generated indicating that the contents of the storage device are corrupted if the final value does not correspond to the resulting value.

Abstract: A cashless gaming apparatus and method suitable for casinos. A player hands over money and an ID card to a clerk at a validation terminal. The clerk stores the ID number and the amount of money in the memory of the validation terminal. Then the clerk returns the ID card to the player for operating any one of a number of game terminals. The player then selects a game terminal which reads the player's ID card, whereupon the cash amount from the validation terminal is downloaded to the selected game terminal and the game terminal can then be played. If the player wishes to play another game terminal, the player actuates a cashout switch on the current terminal. The player then moves to another game terminal and the player's ID card is read into the second game terminal, whereupon the money remaining as a cash amount is downloaded to the second game terminal. The player can then play the second game terminal.

Abstract: A slot machine is disclosed having three coaxially mounted reels and a mechanism for simultaneously spinning the three reels when a starting handle is pulled, and stopping them at three new stopping positions in response to control signals from a microprocessors. Each reel has a sprocket with 32 stopping positions and a coding ring with a plurality of slots arranged on a circumferential path about the reel's axis, forming a single track of digital information which may be read by a single optic sensor as the reel rotates. The track has 32 equally spaced fields of optical information corresponding to the 32 stopping positions of the reels. Each field has one slot, the slot width alternating between wide and narrow arcuate sizes about the coding ring, with one sequence of three narrow slots marking a home position for its respective reel.

Abstract: A slot machine having three reels and a mechanism for spinning and stopping them after a starting handle is pulled, in response to control signals from a microprocessor. Each reel has a slotted coding ring forming a single track of digital information which may be read by a single optic sensor as the reel rotates. The track has 32 fields of optical information corresponding to the 32 indicia on its reel. Each field has one slot, the slot width alternating between wide and narrow sides about the track, with one sequence of three narrow slots marking a home position. A position counter counts the number of fields that pass each reel's sensor after the home position. Each time a new field is detected, the reel's direction, speed, acceleration and deceleration are checked, and an error signal is issued if the reel is not spinning properly. When the starting handle is pulled, three random numbers are generated.

Abstract: A slot machine having multiple spinning reels coaxially mounted in a frame for relative rotation. All machine movements are electrically activated by pulling a starting handle. The handle operates an electric switch which, in turn, initiates sequencing of the machine by a processor.The reel and sprocket are mounted so that relative rotational movements between them in a first rotational direction are prevented when the two are in a predetermined angular orientation. However, relative rotational movement between the reel and sprocket is permitted over a limited arc in the opposite rotational direction. A spring interposed between them permits a slight overtravel of the reel beyond the arrest position of the sprocket, and thereafter returns it to its normal position relative to the sprocket. To prevent undesirable oscillations, a friction clutch is interposed between the reel and the sprocket.

Abstract: A slot machine having multiple spinning reels coaxially mounted in a frame for relative rotation. All machine movements are electrically activated by pulling a starting handle. The handle operates an electric switch which, in turn, initiates sequencing of the machine by a processor. A spinning-arresting mechanism for each reel is constructed as a unitary module which can be plugged into the machine or readily removed therefrom. The module includes start and stop solenoids cooperating with a single, spring-powered lever and associated linkage for guiding the lever through a three phase movement. During the first phase, the lever moves from its reel arresting position to its reel spinning position. During this movement, the lever engages a sprocket connected with the reel and thereby imparts rotational movement to the reel. In the second phase, the lever, after having completed the spinning of the reel, moves towards a cocked position where the lever rests out of contact with the sprocket.

Abstract: A self-diagnostic apparatus is disclosed which has a transducer, such as a solenoid, for performing a mechanical movement in response to an electrical signal of at least a "first energy," such as a constant DC voltage applied over a predetermined time period. A control device, such as a microprocessor-based control circuit, is used to provide an electrical signal of greater energy than the "first energy" in response to a predetermined condition during operation of the apparatus. Such a predetermined condition may be the arrival of one of a slot machine's reels at a rotational position in which it is intended to be stopped. A diagnostic test initiating device, such as a switch, is used for signalling the start of a test of the transducer. The control device further includes a testing device which is responsive to the diagnositc test initiating device for providing an electrical signal of the first energy to the transducer.

Abstract: A slot machine having multiple spinning reels coaxially mounted in a frame for relative rotation. All machine movements are electrically activated by pulling a starting handle. The handle operates an electric switch which, in turn, initiates sequencing of the machine by a processor.A spinning arresting mechanism for each reel is constructed as a unitary module which can be plugged into the machine or readily removed therefrom. The module includes start and stop solenoids cooperating with a single, spring-powered lever and associated linkage for guiding the lever through a three phase movement. During the first phase, the lever moves from its reel arresting position to its reel spinning position. During this movement, the lever engages a sprocket connected with the reel and thereby imparts rotational movement to the reel. In the second phase, the lever, after having completed the spinning of the reel, moves towards a cocked position where the lever rests out of contact with the sprocket.

Abstract: A battery-powered hand-held calculator for performing arithmetic, trigonometric, and logarithmic functions and displaying the results thereof is provided with the capability of automatically storing the last displayed number in an auxiliary storage register whenever the next succeeding function to be performed would destroy that number. That number may be recalled from the auxiliary storage register by simply depressing a prefix key and a Last-X function key.

Abstract: The battery powered hand-held calculator for performing the arithmetic, trigonometric and logarithmic functions disclosed herein includes a factorial function which conveniently calculates factorials of positive integers.

Abstract: A battery powered hand-held calculator for performing arithmetic, triganometric and logarithmic functions and displaying the results thereof is provided with a clock mode which performs the function of a clock and displays real time or the function of a stopwatch and stores and displays the times at which recorded events have taken place.

Abstract: A battery powered hand-held calculator is disclosed which includes a built-in metric to U.S. conversion function for converting units from one system to the other; a degrees-minutes-seconds conversion function for converting angles or units of time from degrees-minutes-seconds to the decimal system and conversely.

Abstract: Digital data in floating-point notation is arithmetically formatted for display in engineering notation with an exponent that is always a multiple of three and a mantissa having a decimal point. The formatting is performed under control of a routine stored in a read-only memory (ROM) of a data processing unit.

Abstract: In a keyboard entry word processing system, text is stored in a recirculating refresh memory along with a carriage return code at the end of each line. The text is displayed on a CRT screen. A cursor symbol, also displayed on the screen, may be moved by keyboard control to designate a particular character position on the screen where editing is to occur. When the cursor is within the field of displayed text, characters may be edited at the location in memory corresponding to the location of the cursor on the screen. When the cursor is outside the field of displayed text, the cursor is first "found" by altering the refresh memory to provide a new memory location corresponding to the cursor location, and then editing is performed at the new memory location.