Bill stacker and hopper access technique for a gaming device

[0001] This invention relates to gaming machines and, in particular, to a method and structure for gaining access to cash within the gaming machine.

[0002] Gaming machines in casinos typically require a player to insert coins or bills into the machine in order to generate credits for playing a game. The game may be a spinning reels type game, a card game, a video game, or any other type of game.

[0003] Casinos employ elaborate security methods to restrict access to the inside of the gaming machine. Allowing access to the electrical and software portion of the gaming machine may enable someone to manipulate the game's operation to create an unauthorized winning outcome of the game. Allowing access to the coin hopper and bill stacker enables the money to be stolen.

[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the likelihood of tampering with the gaming machine and stealing money from the gaming machine.

[0005] In one embodiment of the inventive gaming machine, unlocking a first lock enables an attendant to open the front door of the gaming machine, allowing access to the internal circuitry of the gaming machine but not allowing access to the money in the gaming machine. Unlocking a second lock enables an attendant to gain access to the money. A person authorized to have access to the money may not be authorized to have assess to the internal circuitry, and vice versa. Since access to the internal circuitry is separated from access to the money, better security control is provided.

[0006] In one embodiment, the second lock allows a front coin tray to be moved to access a bill stacker and coin hopper. When the second lock is actuated, the attendant can laterally slide the coin tray (e.g., to the left) to gain access to the bill stacker containing the bills. The attendant removes the full bill stacker and replaces the stacker with an empty stacker. In one embodiment, a separate key is required to remove the bill stacker from the gaming machine. The bill stacker box itself is typically locked and requires a different key to gain access to the bills inside.

[0007] To gain access to the coin hopper, the coin tray is pulled forward, like a drawer, along with the coin hopper. Coins may be added to or removed from the hopper. To gain full access to the hopper for maintenance, the coin tray is tilted down. As an added advantage, since the front door does not need to be opened for gaining access to the stacker or hopper, players at adjacent machines are not disturbed.

[0008] For machines that do not pay out coins and only accept bills, a movable front panel may be used instead of a coin tray to gain access to the bill stacker.

[0015] Although the invention can be implemented by modifying most types of modern gaming machines, one particular gaming machine platform will be described in detail.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gaming machine 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Machine 10 includes a cabinet 11 housing a display 12 that may be a thin film transistor (TFT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or any other type of display. A second display 14 provides game data or other information in addition to display 12. Display 14 may provide static information, such as an advertisement for the game, the rules of the game, pay tables, paylines, or other information, or may even display the game itself along with display 12. Alternatively, the area for display 14 may be a display glass for conveying information about the game.

[0017] A coin slot 22 accepts coins or tokens in one or more denominations to generate credits within machine 10 for playing games. An input slot 24 for an optical reader and printer receives machine readable printed tickets and outputs printed tickets for use in cashless gaming. A bill acceptor 26 accepts various denominations of banknotes.

[0018] A coin tray 32 receives coins or tokens from a hopper upon a win or upon the player cashing out.

[0019] A card reader slot 34 accepts any of various types of cards, such as smart cards, magnetic strip cards, or other types of cards conveying machine readable information. The card reader reads the inserted card for player and credit information for cashless gaming. The card reader may also include an optical reader and printer for reading and printing coded barcodes and other information on a paper ticket.

[0020] A keypad 36 accepts player input, such as a personal identification number (PIN) or any other player information. A display 38 above keypad 36 displays a menu for instructions and other information and provides visual feedback of the keys pressed.

[0021] Player control buttons 39 include any buttons needed for the play of the particular game or games offered by machine 10 including, for example, a bet button, a repeat bet button, a play two-ways button, a spin reels button, a deal button, hold cards buttons, a draw button, a maximum bet button, a cash-out button, a display paylines button, a display payout tables button, select icon buttons, and any other suitable button.

[0022] The game played may be a spinning reel type game, either using physical reels or simulated reels on a video screen, or the game may be a card game, such as poker. Any other game may be played.

[0023] A first lock 44, when unlocked with a key, allows the attendant to open the main door 48, as shown in FIG. 2. This allows access to the circuitry and software (e.g., the game program) in the machine for service. Lock 44 may be any type of suitable lock. Door 48 need not be on a hinge but may be attached to cabinet 11 in any manner.

[0024] Another service performed on the machine is removing money from the gaming machine, because either the bill stacker is full or the hopper is full, or adding coins to the hopper to allow coin payouts to the player. It is typically not desirable to allow the unskilled attendant that handles the money to gain access to the internal circuitry of the gaming machine, whose access should be restricted to skilled service technicians. Additionally, if the front of the machine were opened to reveal both the money portion of the machine and the circuitry, the risk of electrical shock would be greatly increased when handling the money. Further, for security reasons, access to the circuitry and money should be limited. Also, opening the front door of a gaming machine for accessing the stacker and hopper disturbs players playing adjacent gaming machines. Accordingly, it is advantageous to separate access to the electrical circuitry and the money.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 3, a second lock 46, when unlocked with a second key, unlocks coin tray 32 from its normal position. In one embodiment, lock 46 cannot be unlocked with a key unless door 48 is closed and in a locked position. Accordingly, locks 44 and 46 are coupled to levers that prevent the turning of one lock when the other lock is in an unlocked state. Such a coupling may take on any suitable form.

[0026] Actuating lock 46 by turning a key removes a blocking bar 54 from a coin tray latch 50 (better shown in FIG. 6), which allows coin tray 32 to be manually slid to the left to gain access to the bill stacker 52, shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows an expanded portion of the blocking bar 54 that is mechanically raised and lowered by turning a key inserted into lock 46. When in a locked position, coin tray latch 50 fits within metal walls 56 and 58. Blocking bar 54, when in a down position (shown in dashed lines), prevents coin tray 32 from being shifted to the left. A pin 59 also engages latch 50 to prevent coin tray 32 from being pulled out while in a locked position. Other means, to be described later, block coin tray 32 from being tilted forward. Other latches may also be utilized to further secure coin tray 32 in place.

[0027] After shifting coin tray 32 to the left a sufficient amount, the attendant can quickly access bill stacker 52. Bill stacker 52 may be locked into position using a third lock 60 (FIG. 3), requiring a different key. Turning of the key in lock 60 releases a latch that secures stacker 52 in place, and stacker 52 is then pulled out by the attendant and replaced with an empty stacker.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows stacker 52 in greater detail. The handle of bill stacker 52 is not shown in the other drawings for simplicity. Stacker 52 includes an input slot 62 into which bills are drawn after being inserted into bill acceptor 26 (FIG. 1). A motor and pulley system may be incorporated into stacker 52, or externally to stacker 52, to forward bills through opening 62 so as to stack the bills inside stacker 52. A pin 68 helps guide stacker 52 along a track internal to machine 10. Bill stackers are well known, and any conventional bill stacker may be used.

[0029] Since the casino may not want the attendant to have access to the bills within stacker 52, locks 64 and 66 are provided on stacker 52. Locks 64 and 66 require different keys so the casino can require two people to unlock stacker 52 to further increase security.

[0030] Accordingly, stacker 52 may be removed and replaced with an empty stacker within seconds due to the minimum movement required of coin tray 32 in gaining access to stacker 52. The attendant need not gain access to the internal circuitry of machine 10 in order to access stacker 52.

[0031] To access the coin hopper to either remove coins from the hopper or add coins to the hopper, coin tray 32 is pulled forward, as shown in FIG. 5, after being released by lock 46. Coin tray 32 is attached to a drawer 70 supporting coin hopper 72. In one embodiment, the sliding out of drawer 70 may be performed whether or not coin tray 32 has been slid to expose stacker 52. Sliding out drawer 70 gains access to the top opening 73 of hopper 72 to add or remove coins.

[0032] If the hopper needs servicing, full access to the hopper mechanism is typically required. FIG. 6 demonstrates how coin tray 32 may be tilted down to reveal the entire hopper 72. To unlatch coin tray 32 from its upright position, the attendant manually lifts up a spring-loaded latch 74, which releases latch 74 and the corresponding latch 76 on the opposite side from pins 78 and 80.

[0033] In one embodiment of the invention, coin tray 32 is not laterally movable to gain access to the bill stacker, and access to both the stacker and the hopper is obtained by pulling out coin tray 32. However, as discussed above, certain advantages are obtained by allowing coin tray 32 to be laterally slid to reveal the bill stacker. In other embodiments, coin tray 32 does not have the capability of being tilted downward.

[0034] In an additional embodiment, the invention is applied to a gaming machine where coins are not inserted or paid out by the machine, so there is no coin tray. However, the machine may still accept bills. The payouts in such machines are typically in the form of a coded paper ticket, a smart card transfer, a magnetic stripe card transfer, or other type of non-cash payment. In such a case, coin tray 32 is replaced by a panel, such as a display panel. The panel is coupled to the gaming machine in a manner similar to the coupling of coin tray 32, wherein a separate lock enables the panel to be moved to gain access to the bill stacker without allowing the attendant to gain access to the circuitry internal to the gaming machine.

[0035] The invention allows different people to have access to the circuitry portion of the gaming machine and the money portion of the gaming machine, greatly alleviating security problems for the casino. The invention also reduces the possibility of electrical shock by separating the money portion of the machine from the circuitry portion. Further, since the front door does not need to be opened for gaining access to the stacker or hopper, players at adjacent machines are not disturbed. The invention described herein may be applied to any type of gaming machine, including those operating with a central server.

[0036] The movable coin tray 32 or panel may be located anywhere on the machine and the machine may take any form, such as a slant top machine, a mechanical spinning reels type device, a video game device, or any other machine.

[0037] Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art would appreciate that given the present disclosure, modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit of the inventive concepts described herein. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.