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Title: Amusement apparatus and method
Claims: We claim: 1. An amusement apparatus comprising: a plurality of like symbol-displaying means for repetitively displaying respective series of symbols sequentially during an operating periOd of said apparatus, and computer means effective to select at the commencement of each operating period a single complete set of said symbols comprising one symbol of each of said displaying means and including means causing displaying of said selected set of symbols at the end of said operating period. 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of playing disc dispensing means operatively associated with said computer means and effective to dispense playing disc determined in accordance with a scoring schedule stored in a memory means of said computer means. 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said computer means includes means for storing a plurality of differing scoring schedules, and said playing disc dispensing means effective to dispense playing discs in accord with a computer selected one of said scoring schedules. 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means connected with said symbol displaying means for initiating and terminating each operating period. 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 in which said operating period initiating means comprises inhibiting means for inhibiting commencement of an operating period, and means for disabling said inhibiting means. 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said playing period initiating means comprises manually operable means, and said inhibiting means comprises means for locking said manually operable means against manual operation. 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein a disc and disc utilizing means operating in conjunction therewith and effective when disc means is present in said disc utilizing means to disable said inhibiting means. 8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 in which said disc utilizing means is utilized to dispense a playing play disc under the control of said computer means. 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 in which said disc utilizing means is controlled by said computer means to dispense a determined number of said discs in accordance with scoring information stored in a memory of said computer means. 10. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said plural symbol displaying means each comprise a rotary wheel bearing a circumferentially arranged series of symbols. 11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said computer means includes means to sense the speed of rotation of each of said wheels, and means responsive to each of said wheel speed sensing means to nullify said operating period incident to rotation of any of said wheels at less than a predetermined rotary speed. 12. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 in which said apparatus comprises starting means for initiating rotation of said wheels, and means for stopping rotation of said wheels to terminate said playing period at respective positions each selected in accordance with information stored in said computer means. 13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said stored information is randomly generated by and stored in said computer means at the commencement of the operating period of said apparatus. 14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 in which a disc and disc dispensing award means is provided and controlled by said computer means and operable to dispense a number of discs governed by the scoring information stored in said computer means. 15. Apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said computer includes means to sense the speed of rotation of each of said wheels, and means responsive to each of said wheel speed sensing means effective to nullify the operating period incident to rotatiOn of any of said wheels at less than a predetermined rotary speed. 16. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said computer means comprises a plurality of random number code generating means each associated with a respective symbol displaying means and normally operating to continuously generate respective series of random number codes each defining a respective symbol of said corresponding symbol displaying means. 17. Apparatus as defined in claim 16 including stopping means for each of said symbol displaying means to effect termination of displaying of successive symbols by said symbol displaying means. 18. Amusement apparatus comprising computer means having information generating and storing means, a plurality of symbol displaying means operatively associated with said information generating and storing means each capable of displaying a plurality of differing symbols one at a time in series whereby at any time a set of such symbols is displayed, means under the control of said information generating and storing means for initiating cyclical display of the symbols thereof in serial order, and means for terminating the cyclical displaying of symbols to leave displayed a set of symbols consisting of one symbol from each of said symbol displaying means, said computer means including means operating normally to continuously generate a plurality of series of random number codes one for each of said symbol displaying means and to store that single random number code generated at a predetermined time relative to the commencement of cyclical operating of said symbol displaying means and thereafter to initiate operation of said means for terminating the cyclical display at respective points in the respective operation cycles of the displaying means to cause the latter to then display that particular set of symbols represented by said single random number code selected and stored during operation of all of said symbol displaying means. 19. Apparatus as defined in claim 18 characterized in the provision of playing disc dispensing means operatively associated with said computer means and effective to dispense playing discs determined in accordance with one of a plurality of scoring schedules stored in a memory means of said computer means. 20. Apparatus as defined in claim 19 characterized in that said computer means includes means for storing a plurality of differing scoring schedules, and said playing disc dispensing means being effective to dispense that number of discs in accord with a computer selected one of said scoring schedules. 21. Apparatus as defined in claim 18 in which said apparatus includes inhibiting means for inhibiting commencement of cyclical operation of said displaying means, and means for disabling said inhibiting means. 22. Apparatus as defined in claim 21 in which said apparatus includes manually operable means and in which said inhibiting means comprises means for locking said manually operable means against manual operation. 23. Apparatus as defined in claim 22 including a disc and disc utilizing means operating in conjunction with said computer means to dispense a disc under control of said computer means. 24. An amusement apparatus comprising: first means, including a plurality of symbol-displaying means, each arranged to cyclically display in serial order a respective series of symbols when operated, and means for initiating cyclical operation of each of the symbol-displaying means; second means, including stopping means for terminating operations of said symbol-displaying means after a plurality of cycles of operation of each thereof, whereby to display at the termination of said operation a set of symbols consisting of one symbol of each of said symbol displaying means; third means, including operative computer means having random number code generating means, operatively connected to said first and second means, said computer means further comprising read-only memory means storing a control program and further comprising a random-access memory means and an operative operating unit, said computer means normally idly generating a continuum of random number codes and operable to store a random number code selected while all of said symbol-displaying means are continuing to display a respective series of symbols and to thereafter activate the respective stopping means each upon display by the respective displaying means of a respective symbol uniquely defined by the respective previously stored random number code, whereby determination of the ultimately displayed set of symbols is effected randomly by computer operation at the commencement of cyclical operation of said symbol-displaying means. 25. Amusement apparatus as defined by claim 24, including fourth means connected to said computer means for dispensing a play score only in event of final display of a predetermined set of said symbols. 26. Amusement apparatus as defined by claim 25 wherein said third means is effective to determine playing scores differing upon final display of respective differing predetermined combinations of symbols. 27. A device as defined in claim 25, including in said means for initiating cyclical operation of said symbol displaying means a plurality of discs and disc acceptance means, and manually-operable means with connections to said computer means effective upon operation of said manually-operable means and the disc-acceptance means to store then existing random number code generated by said computer means in said random-access memory of said computer means. 28. Amusement apparatus comprising: means for accumulating a supply of discs of like specific characteristics and including means for dispensing discs therefrom; a plurality of symbol displaying means each capable of displaying a single symbol and stopping means therefor, first means for initiating repetitive displaying of the respective symbols of each of said displaying means; means normally acting to inhibit operation of said first means and effective upon application thereto of a disc of said specific characteristics to thereupon permit operation of said first means; other means, including computer means operatively related to said first means and said inhibiting means, said other means comprising means normally effective to generate at high speed for each of said displaying means a continuing series of random number codes, and sensing means for repetitively sensing the displaying of the first symbol of each symbol-displaying means and providing thereby a respective start signal to said computer means, said computer means being effective to immediately store therein the current random number code corresponding to the respective displaying means incident to initiation of displaying of the symbols thereof and further effective thereafter to provide respective stopping signals to said stopping means at respective times determined by the respective previously stored random number code; whereby the set of individual symbols ultimately displayed, one by each displaying means, is determined by said other means at the time of initiation of operation of said first means; and means in said computer means, connected to said disc-supply means, effective to cause actuation of the latter to dispense a playing disc incident upon ultimate displaying by said symbol-displaying means of a set of symbols conforming to a set thereof represented by a digital number stored in the memory of said computer means. 29. Amusement apparatus according to claim 28 characterized in that said computer means includes means for storing a plurality of digital numbers each representing differing numbers of playing discs, each such number of discs being represented by a respective different set of ultimately displayed symbols, and said computer means effective upon ultimate display of any of such different sets of symbols to cause said disc-supply means to dispense that number of disc represented by the respective displayed set of symbols. 30. That method of controlling the final display of a combination of n symbols comprising one symbol of each of n like series of symbols and the symbols of which series are cyclically serially displayed, which comprises randomly generating n series of digital number codes, one for each series of symbols, assigning each series of number codes to a respective series of symbols prior to cyclically displaying the symbols of the respective series thereof, storing one each of said codes generated at the time of commencement of cyclical displaying of the series of symbols, and subsequently terminating cyclical displaying of the series of symbols at respective points in the cyclical serial display represented by respective ones of the previously stored number codes, whereby determination of the set of symbols to be finally displayed is selected by random process at the time of initiation of the cyclical displaying of symbols. 31. A method of operating a gaming device having a number n of like cyclically operable symbol-displaying devices each operable to repetitively display in seriatim a series a,b,c, ... x, of symbols, which comprises producing for each displaying device a continuum of n series of random number codes each representative of the display of a respective one of the symbols, initiating the cyclical serial display of symbols by each of the displaying devices, storing the currently produced n random number codes at the time of initiating cyclical display of symbols, and subsequently terminating displaying of symbols by each of said displaying devices at that symbol represented by the respective previously stored random number code. Other info: Inventors: Saxton, James C. (Amherst, NH, US) Osterberg, Bruce H. (San Diego, CA, US) Kawan, Joseph C. (Hollywood, CA, US) Application Number: 585454 Filing Date: 1975-06-09 Publication_date: 1978-06-20 Assignee: Primary Class(es): 463/20 463/25 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
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