Apparatus for controlling a reeled chance based amusement device

Claim 1

Apparatus for controlling an amusement device including a plurality of rotatable reels provided with indicia in the form of discrete symbols, the apparatus comprising, in combination: (A) input means associated with the reels of an amusement device for continuously detecting the position of each of the reels while the reels are rotating; (B) computing means connected to the input means for receiving reel position signals from the input means and maintaining data on plural positions of each of the reels; and (C) comparator means connected to the computing means for receiving reel symbol signals from the computing means and comparing the symbols on each of the reels as a function of the position of the reels and determining if a predetermined match exists between the symbols of the reels; the input means including, in combination: sensing means associated with the reels for detecting the positions of the rotating reels; and pulse shaping means connected to the sensing means and to the computing means for receiving signals from the sensing means and conditioning these signals for input into the computing means; the sensing means including sensor units arranged with respect to the associated reels for being pulsed by the rotation of the reels, interrupter means associated with the reels for actuating the sensor unit means as a function of symbols provided on the reels, and revolution indicating means associated with the reels for actuating the sensor unit means with each revolution of the reels, a pair of sensor unit means being spaced apart a distance d/2 where d is the center to center spacing of adjacent interrupter means and the interrupter means are spaced such that no two sensor unit means are simultaneously actuated by the interrupter means; the sensor unit means comprising a plurality of radiation sensing units; the amusement device having a plurality of pay lines consisting of information indicating the position of the reels, and the computing means including, in combination: index circuit means connected to the input means for receiving reel position data from the input means and processing the data received to determine a plurality of pay lines; and strip decode means connected to the index circuit means and to the comparator means for receiving a signal from the index circuit means and converting data contained in the signal into a symbol outputs, decoded data being fed to the comparator means; and the index circuit means including a plurality of position decode circuits, one such decode circuit to each of the reels, each position decode circuit comprising, in combination: counter means connected to the input means for receiving therefrom a signal which is a function of at least one position of an associated one of the rotatable reels; shift register means connected to the counter means for storing current and prior reel position data; data selector means connected to the shift register means for routing data from the shift register means to the strip decode means; and binary decoder means connected to the data selector and to the strip decode means for converting binary signals received from the data selector into a reel pay line signal.