Static segment roulette wheel

Abstract

A roulette gaming wheel has at least three concentric components: a) a set of pockets for capturing a roulette ball; b) a set of alphanumerics contiguous to the set of pockets, with one alphanumeric available for each pocket; and c) a track for allowing a roulette ball to spin around and then to drop into one pocket when gravity causes the ball to fall into a pocket; wherein, a wheel supporting the set of pockets spins independently of the set of alphanumerics.

1 . A roulette gaming wheel comprising three concentric components:
 a) a first wheel supporting a set of pockets for capturing a roulette ball;   b) a second wheel supporting a set of alphanumerics contiguous to the set of pockets, with one alphanumeric available for each pocket;   c) a track for allowing a roulette ball to spin around and then to drop into one pocket when gravity causes the ball to fall into a pocket;   d) a motor controlling rotation of at least one of the first wheel supporting the pockets and the second wheel supporting the set of alphanumerics; and   e) a processor configured to control the motor;   
       wherein, the first wheel supporting the set of pockets spins independently of the second wheel supporting the set of alphanumerics and a random number generator in communication with the processor that provides a random roulette spin outcome, wherein the processor is configured to control the motor so that upon the ball dropping into a moving pocket, the pocket with the ball in it is relatively rotated into alignment with a number in the set of alphanumerics provided in the random roulette spin outcome so that the ball is aligned with the processor provided random roulette outcome. 
     
     
         2 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein alignment stops are provided so that when the first wheel supporting the set of pockets stops spinning, each pocket is aligned with an alphanumeric to identify each pocket. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming wheel of  claim 2  wherein the alignment stops provide forces selected from the group consisting of magnetic force, friction force and blocking force. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein there is substantially no topography between individual alphanumerics that would deflect a roulette ball. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein there is substantial topography between individual alphanumerics that would deflect a roulette ball. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein the track and the alphanumerics are fixed so that neither can rotate relative to the other. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein the track and the alphanumerics are fixed by an adjustable lock so that neither the track nor the alphanumerics can rotate relative to the other. 
     
     
         8 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein a), b) and c) are fixed to a gaming table having indicia of roulette outcomes distributed on a surface of the gaming table. 
     
     
         9 . The gaming wheel of  claim 7  wherein the wheel supporting the pockets cannot spin unless the adjustable lock is in a locked position. 
     
     
         10 . The gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein the first wheel supporting the set of pockets is attached to the motor that moves the first wheel supporting the set of pockets upon direction of the processor. 
     
     
         11 . The gaming wheel of  claim 10  further comprising a random number generator in communication with or embedded in the processor. 
     
     
         12 . The gaming wheel of  claim 10  further comprising a sensor that recognizes presence of a roulette ball in a particular pocket. 
     
     
         13 . The gaming wheel of  claim 11  further comprising a sensor that recognizes presence of a roulette ball in a particular pocket. 
     
     
         14 . The gaming wheel of  claim 13  wherein the processor is configured to control movement and position of the first wheel supporting the set of pockets to recognize an alignment of the particular pocket holding a roulette ball with a particular number in the set of alphanumerics, and to align the ball settled in a particular pocket with an alphanumeric randomly selected by operation of the random number generator. 
     
     
         15 . The gaming wheel of  claim 14  wherein the particular number in the set of alphanumerics is a specific random number within the set of alphanumerics that is randomly selected by the random number generator. 
     
     
         16 . A method of providing a random event outcome using the roulette gaming wheel of  claim 1  wherein the roulette ball is spun along the track with an angular velocity that is the same relative to the track and to the alphanumerics, and the roulette ball drops into a pocket in a set of pockets supported on a rotatable wheel to provide the random outcome, and the processor controls the motor to align the dropped ball in the pocket with an alphanumeric randomly selected by operation of the random number, which aligning comprises selection of one alphanumeric from the set of alphanumerics. 
     
     
         17 . A method of providing a random event outcome using the roulette gaming wheel of  claim 14  wherein the roulette ball is spun along the track with an angular velocity that is the same relative to the track and to the alphanumerics, and the roulette ball drops into a pocket in a set of pockets supported on a rotatable wheel to provide the random outcome, and the processor controls the motor to align the dropped ball in the pocket with an alphanumeric randomly selected by operation of the random number, which aligning comprises selection of one alphanumeric from the set of alphanumerics. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the alphanumerics are on the second wheel, the alphanumeric wheel is unlocked from the track, the alphanumeric wheel is rotated relative to the track, and the alphanumeric wheel is then locked against relative rotation between the alphanumeric wheel and the track. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the alphanumerics are on the second wheel, the alphanumeric wheel is unlocked from the track, the alphanumeric wheel is rotated relative to the track, and the alphanumeric wheel is then locked against relative rotation between the alphanumeric wheel and the track. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16  wherein a processor controls a motor that moves the first wheel supporting the pockets. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the processor further comprises a random number generator and the random number generator selects a random number that corresponds to a single alphanumeric within the set of alphanumerics. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the set of alphanumerics consists of numbers representing a complete set of numbers on a roulette wheel. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the processor controls the motor to stop rotation of the first wheel supporting the set of pockets. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the processor controls the motor to direct movement and position of the first wheel supporting the pockets so that the pocket containing a ball is stopped and positioned in alignment with an only one alphanumeric of the set of alphanumerics that corresponds to the single alphanumeric selected by the random number generator.