Gaming machine cabinet access structure and method

Abstract

A gaming machine includes a gaming machine cabinet defining an upper cabinet volume and a cabinet front opening to the upper cabinet volume. A gaming machine panel is mounted on the gaming machine cabinet in a panel operating position in which the gaming machine panel registers with and covers a base area of the cabinet front opening. The gaming machine further includes a translation structure connected between the gaming machine panel and the gaming machine cabinet. The translation structure is operable enable the gaming machine panel to be moved from the panel operating position upwardly to a cabinet open position. In this cabinet open position the gaming machine panel remains supported by the gaming machine cabinet and is removed from the base area of the cabinet front opening.

Claims

1. A gaming machine including: (a) a gaming machine cabinet defining an upper cabinet volume and defining a cabinet front opening to the upper cabinet volume; (b) a gaming machine panel mounted on and supported by the gaming machine cabinet in a panel operating position in which (i) the gaming machine panel registers with and covers a lower area of the cabinet front opening so as to extend across the entire width dimension of the lower area of the cabinet front opening, (ii) an upper portion of the gaming machine panel registers with and covers an upper extremity of the cabinet front opening so as to extend across the entire width dimension of the upper extremity of the cabinet front opening, (iii) a longitudinal axis of the gaming machine panel extends at a first angle with respect to a slide axis of the gaming machine cabinet, and (iv) a lower extremity of the gaming machine panel resides at a first level along the slide axis of the gaming machine cabinet substantially abutting an adjacent element of the gaming machine; and (c) a translation structure connected between the gaming machine panel and the gaming machine cabinet, the translation structure operable to enable the gaming machine panel to be moved from the panel operating position upwardly along the slide axis to an intermediate position in which (i) the gaming machine panel remains supported by the gaming machine cabinet, (ii) the upper portion of the gaming machine panel is moved upwardly relative to the upper extremity of the cabinet front opening, and (iii) the lower extremity of the gaming machine panel resides at a second level along the slide axis of the gaming machine cabinet above the first level so that the gaming machine panel is separated from the adjacent element of the gaming machine so as to expose a portion of the lower area of the cabinet front opening, the translation structure also being operable to enable the gaming machine panel to be moved from the intermediate position to a full open position in which (iv) the gaming machine panel remains supported by the gaming machine cabinet and (v) the longitudinal axis of the gaming machine panel extends at a second angle with respect to the slide axis of the gaming machine larger than the first angle.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein the translation structure includes a slide assembly including: (a) a first rail mounted on a first side of the gaming machine cabinet within the upper cabinet volume, and a second rail mounted on a second side of the gaming machine cabinet within the upper cabinet volume, the first rail and second rail each extending parallel to the slide axis; and (b) a carriage assembly mounted on both the first rail and the second rail for longitudinal movement with respect to each rail.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2 wherein: (a) the carriage assembly includes a first side carriage mounted on the first rail for movement along a longitudinal axis of the first rail and a second side carriage mounted on the second rail for movement along a longitudinal axis of the second rail; and (b) the gaming machine panel is mounted on the first side carriage and the second side carriage.

4. The gaming machine of claim 2 wherein when the gaming machine panel is in the intermediate position the gaming machine panel abuts lateral edges of the cabinet front opening along a portion of a length of the gaming machine panel.

5. The gaming machine of claim 4 wherein the gaming machine panel includes a video display monitor of the gaming machine.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1 wherein when the gaming machine panel is moved from the intermediate position to the full open position the upper portion of the gaming machine panel moves forwardly away from the cabinet front opening.

7. A method for opening a gaming machine cabinet which defines an upper cabinet volume and defines a cabinet front opening to the upper cabinet volume, the method including: (a) moving a gaming machine panel mounted on the gaming machine cabinet upwardly from an operating position for the gaming machine panel in which (i) the gaming machine panel registers with and covers a lower area of the cabinet front opening so as to extend across the entire width dimension of the lower area of the cabinet front opening, (ii) an upper portion of the gaming machine panel registers with and covers an upper extremity of the cabinet front opening so as to extend across the entire width dimension of the upper extremity of the cabinet front opening, (iii) the gaming machine panel is supported by the gaming machine cabinet, (iv) a longitudinal axis of the gaming machine panel extends at a first angle with respect to a slide axis of the gaming machine cabinet, and (v) a lower extremity of the gaming machine panel resides at a first level along the slide axis of the gaming machine cabinet substantially abutting an adjacent element of the gaming machine; (b) continuing to move the gaming machine panel upwardly from the operating position first to an intermediate position and then to a full open position while the gaming machine panel remains continuously supported by the gaming machine cabinet; (c) during moving the gaming machine panel from the operating position to the intermediate position, sliding the gaming machine panel upwardly relative to the gaming machine cabinet so that the lower extremity resides at a second level along the slide axis of the gaming machine cabinet above the first level so that the gaming machine panel is separated from the adjacent element of the gaming machine so as to expose a portion of the lower area of the cabinet front opening; and (d) during moving the gaming machine panel from the intermediate position to the full open position, reorienting the gaming machine panel so that the longitudinal axis of the gaming machine panel extends at a second angle with respect to the slide axis of the gaming machine larger than the first angle.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein: (a) a first rail is mounted on a first side of the gaming machine cabinet within the upper cabinet volume, and a second rail mounted on a second side of the gaming machine cabinet within the upper cabinet volume, the first rail and second rail each extending parallel to the slide axis; and (b) moving the gaming machine panel upwardly from the operating position to the intermediate position includes sliding the gaming machine panel along the first rail and second rail.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the gaming machine panel is mounted on a carriage assembly and the gaming machine panel slides along the first rail and second rail on the carriage assembly.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein as the gaming machine panel is moved from the operating position to the intermediate position the gaming machine panel abuts lateral edges of the cabinet front opening along a portion of a length of the gaming machine panel.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the gaming machine panel includes a video display monitor of the gaming machine.

12. The method of claim 7 as the gaming machine panel is moved from the intermediate position to the full open position the upper portion of the gaming machine panel moves forwardly away from the cabinet front opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a gaming machine according to aspects of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 1 but with front components removed from the gaming machine cabinet to expose the cabinet upper interior volume and cabinet front opening.

(3) FIG. 3 is a section view in the direction of arrows 3-3 in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is a section view in the direction of arrows 4-4 in FIG. 1

(5) FIG. 5 is an enlarged section view of a central portion of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 1, in the direction of arrows 3-3 in FIG. 1 but showing a front panel of the gaming machine in a position moved upwardly from the operating position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

(6) FIG. 6 is a section view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the front panel of the gaming machine in the cabinet open position.

DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIG. 1 shows a gaming machine 100 having a cabinet access arrangement in accordance with aspects of the present invention. Gaming machine 100 includes a gaming machine cabinet 101 on which is mounted a panel generally shown at reference numeral 104. Panel 104 in this example includes a tall video display monitor 106 and a gaming machine component housing shown at 107 below the video display monitor. Gaming machine component housing 107 in this example includes a speaker grill 108 and openings 109 for various player interface devices. Gaming machine 100 further includes a button deck 110 protruding from a front side of cabinet 101 and an access door or panel 112 in a lower part of the gaming machine below button deck 110.

(8) FIG. 2 shows gaming machine 100 with the panel 104 removed to expose an interior volume defined by cabinet 101. FIG. 2 also shows that cabinet 101 defines a front opening to the interior volume. This front opening is bounded on a left side in FIG. 2 at edge 201, on the right side at edge 202, at an upper end at edge 203, and at a lower end at edge 204. In this example gaming machine 100, lower end edge 204 of the cabinet front opening is defined by an upper edge of the structure forming button deck 110. As is apparent by comparing the views of FIGS. 1 and 2, when panel 104 is in an operating position shown in FIG. 1, it registers with and covers the gaming machine cabinet front opening defined by the edges 201, 202, 203, and 204 with a lower extremity of panel 104 abutting edge 204 of the adjacent gaming machine element button deck 110. In particular, panel 104 in the operating position extends laterally across and covers the entire width dimension of the gaming machine cabinet front opening from edge 201 to edge 202. Panel 104 in the operating position also extends vertically across (in the orientation of FIGS. 1 and 2) and covers the entire height dimension of the gaming machine cabinet front opening from edge 204 to edge 203. This height dimension of the gaming machine cabinet front opening encompasses an upper extremity of the cabinet front opening which is bounded on its upper side by upper edge 203.

(9) The section view of FIG. 3 also shows the panel 104 made up of video monitor 106 and component housing 107 in its operating position on cabinet 101. In this operating position, panel 104 is oriented with its long side along a longitudinal axis H which is substantially vertical in the example of FIG. 3 (“longitudinal axis” here means the axis parallel to the long edge of the elongated shape of the panel 104). FIG. 3 also shows portions of a translation structure which allows panel 104 to be moved from the operating position shown in FIG. 3 to the cabinet open position illustrated in FIG. 6. The translation structure includes a slide assembly and an upper translation assembly. Portions of the slide assembly are indicated generally by arrow 304, while a portion of the upper translation assembly is indicated generally by arrow 305.

(10) The portion of the upper translation structure visible in the view of FIG. 3 includes a first track 306a which is mounted at a first side of cabinet 101 within the interior volume of the cabinet. This first track 306a is also visible in the view of FIG. 2. The upper translation structure indicated at arrow 305 also includes a first upper connection arm 308a. Upper connection arm 308a is connected at a distal end 309a to the panel 104 and particularly to a bracket 310 for the panel in this example structure. The proximal end of the first upper connection arm 308a includes a projection comprising a roller 312a. Roller 312a is shown in hidden lines in FIG. 3 (as well as FIGS. 5 and 6) because it resides at the opposite side of first upper connection arm 308a to the side visible in the section of FIG. 3 in position where it is mounted on track 306a. As will be described further below, roller 312a allows the proximal end of upper connection arm 308 to move upwardly following the course of track 306a. It should also be noted from FIG. 3 that track 306a includes a lower portion indicated generally at 314 which extends substantially vertically in this embodiment and a similar substantially vertical upper portion shown at 315 in FIG. 3.

(11) It will be appreciated that from the section plane from which the view of FIG. 3 is taken, only the first side of the interior of cabinet 101 is visible. FIG. 4 shows a view in the opposite direction from that shown in FIG. 3 and presents a mirror image of that shown in FIG. 3 as to the translation structure. In particular, the view in FIG. 4 shows a second track 306b mounted at an inside of a second side of the gaming machine cabinet 101 within the interior volume. Second track 306b in this embodiment includes the same serpentine shape as that of track 306a. A second upper connection arm 308b is included to connect the panel 104 to cabinet 101. This second upper connection arm 308b includes a distal end 309b connected to bracket 310 for panel 104 and includes a proximal end with a roller 312b similar to roller 312a in FIG. 3 and providing the same function as to second track 306b.

(12) The portion of slide assembly 304 visible in FIG. 3 includes a first side rail 320a and a first carriage 322a slideably mounted on first side rail 320a so as to facilitate movement of the first carriage along a slide axis S. FIG. 3 also shows a pivot connection 323a between a lower portion of panel 104 and carriage 322a. A latching mechanism shown generally at 324 is included in a lower portion of cabinet 101 to cooperate with a feature (not shown) at the lower end of first carriage 322a to latch the carriage and thus panel 104 in the operating position shown in FIG. 3. Latching mechanism 324 includes a release which is not apparent from the view of FIG. 3 due to the scale of the drawing. This release is preferably accessible through lower door 112.

(13) As with the upper translation structure 305, it will be appreciated that a view in the opposite direction from FIG. 3, the direction shown in FIG. 4, shows essentially a mirror image as to components of the slide assembly 304. Thus FIG. 4 shows a second side rail 320b and second carriage 322b slidably mounted on that rail for movement along axis S. A pivot connection 323b similar to connection 323a is also visible in this opposite view from the view of FIG. 3, as is a second latching mechanism 324b corresponding to latching mechanism 324a for securing that opposite side carriage 322b as desired while the panel 104 is in the operating position.

(14) It should be noted that while first carriage 322a and second carriage 322b may be separate devices, embodiments of the slide assembly may include a connecting structure between first carriage 322a and second carriage 322b. In this case the pivot connections 323a and 323b may be to that connecting structure rather than at the carriages. Also, a connecting structure between carriages 322a and 322b may facilitate a single pivot connection between a lower portion of panel 104 and the connecting structure between carriages 322a and 322b. A connecting structure between carriages 322a and 322b may also facilitate a single latching mechanism that cooperates with a feature on the connecting structure to latch the carriages in the operating position as desired.

(15) To move panel 104 from its operating position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the latching mechanisms 324a and 324b are operated to release the feature at the lower end of corresponding carriage 322a and 322b. This allows carriages 322a and 322b to be moved upwardly along slide axis S. FIG. 5 shows an intermediate position of panel 104 between the operating position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the full open position shown in FIG. 6. The view of FIG. 5 shows that first carriage 322a has moved upwardly relative to its position in FIG. 3 as is apparent by the separation of housing 107 portion of panel 104 from button deck 110 and by the separation of the upper edge of panel 104 from its position registering with the upper part of cabinet 101. Also, roller 312a is moved upwardly along track 306a. However, since roller 312a has traversed only a vertical portion 314 of track 306, the longitudinal axis H of panel 104 remains essentially in same position relative to slide axis S as in FIG. 3. Thus in this intermediate position, shown in FIG. 5, gaming machine panel 104 still substantially abuts the lateral edges of the cabinet front opening, namely, edges 201 and 202 shown in FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that in the intermediate position of panel 104 shown in FIG. 5 second carriage 322b (shown only in FIG. 4) will also have moved upwardly relative to its position in FIG. 4 and second roller 312b will have moved upwardly along second track 306b relative to its position in FIG. 4.

(16) Referring now to FIG. 6, as panel 104 is moved further upwardly on first carriage 322a, first roller 312a traverses a central serpentine portion of track 306a which causes an upper portion of panel 104 to move outwardly away from cabinet 101. A similar movement occurs on the opposite side with second carriage 322b and second roller 312b. The pivot connection 323a between a lower end of panel 104 and carriage 322a (and pivot connection 323b on the opposite side) allows this forward movement of the upper portion of panel 104 while the lower portion of the panel remains on or near slide axis S. It will be appreciated that in the open position shown in FIG. 6, the interior structure interior volume of cabinet 101 is accessible between the level of the button deck 110 and the lower end of panel 104, generally representing a base area or lower area of the cabinet front opening. Also, the upper portion of panel 104 is separated from cabinet 101, and particularly the upper edge of panel 104 is removed from the upper extremity of the cabinet front opening, to provide access to the interior volume of cabinet in the upper portion thereof. The separation at the top of the cabinet places the longitudinal axis H of panel 104 at an angle to slide axis S which is larger than the angle formed between longitudinal axis H and slide axis S when panel 104 is in its operating position. This angle is determined by the offset in the horizontal direction between the lower and upper ends of tracks 306a and 306b.

(17) Although not apparent from the view of FIGS. 3-6, biasing devices or dampening devices may be included in the translation arrangement to maintain panel 104 in its full open position. When it is desired to close the cabinet by returning panel 104 to its operating position, a downward force may be applied to the panel against any biasing force associated with the translation apparatus to return the elements to their position shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4. Latching mechanisms 324a and 324b are preferably configured to automatically catch the cooperating feature at the bottom of carriages 322a and 322b to latch the carriages in place with the panel 104 in the operating position.

(18) The present invention is not limited to any particular structure for rails 320a and 320b. For example, these rails may have a cylindrical cross-sectional shape as an alternative to the illustrated shape. Similarly, any suitable arrangement may be employed to allow carriage 322a and 322b to slide along the respective rail along axis S. For example, carriages 322a and 322b may each include rollers which cooperate with bearing surfaces of the respective rail to facilitate smooth movement of the carriage along the rail while maintaining the orientation of the carriage with respect to the rail. Particularly where the rails have a cylindrical cross-section, carriages 322a and 322b may include a correspondingly shaped bushing for each rail.

(19) As used herein, whether in the above description or the following claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, that is, to mean including but not limited to. Also, it should be understood that the terms “about,” “substantially,” and like terms used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.

(20) Any use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the following claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another, or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. Rather, unless specifically stated otherwise, such ordinal terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term).

(21) The term “each” may be used in the following claims for convenience in describing characteristics or features of multiple elements, and any such use of the term “each” is in the inclusive sense unless specifically stated otherwise. For example, if a claim defines two or more elements as “each” having a characteristic or feature, the use of the term “each” is not intended to exclude from the claim scope a situation having a third one of the elements which does not have the defined characteristic or feature.

(22) The above-described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Various other embodiments and modifications to these preferred embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in some instances, one or more features disclosed in connection with one embodiment can be used alone or in combination with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. More generally, the various features described herein may be used in any working combination.