Judith Ann Karabin

US Patent:

61767743, Jan 23, 2001

Filed:

Jul 25, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/900554

Inventors:

Peter Filiberti - Las Vegas NV
Gary L. Coulter - Henderson NV
Judith Karabin - Henderson NV

Assignee:

Spinteknology, Inc. - Las Vegas NV

International Classification:

G07D 100
G01G 1900

US Classification:

453 32

Abstract:

An apparatus and method are provided for deterring gaming machine theft and fraud by weighing the number of coins accumulated in a gaming machine hopper assembly (9). In one preferred embodiment, a coin weighing apparatus (12) consisting of a load cell (13) and internal strain gauge (18) is constructed integrally with the coin hopper assembly and fits between the coin hopper (10) and its base plate (14). In other preferred embodiments, the coin weighing apparatus (22, 43, 50) is constructed separately from the coin hopper assembly. In these other preferred embodiments, the weighing apparatus includes upper (24, 46, 52) and lower plates (26, 48, 60) which are separated by one or more load cell weighing instruments (28, 45, 56). In operation, the lower plate of this stand-alone weighing apparatus is typically placed against the bottom (8) of the slot machine and the hopper is then simply placed on top of the weighing apparatus' upper plate. The present invention also provides a method of detecting fraud or theft using the weighing apparatus of the present invention to take periodic readings of the number of coins residing in the hopper and communicating those reading as appropriate.