ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR A GAME OF CHANCE
First Claim
1. A gaming system for use by an operator and a plurality of players in playing a bingo-like game, the system comprising:
- computer means adapted to be controlled by the operator to download data representative of a patterned array of indicia into each of a plurality of game board computers, the computer means further adapted to communicate a respective enabling message to a predetermined one of the game board computers responsive to receiving a payment from one of the players; and
wherein the predetermined game board computer is adapted to display the respective patterned array of indicia only after receiving the enabling message.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Electronic equipment is provided for playing a bingo-like game in a fashion closely simulative of the well known game of bingo played with paper cards. The three main functional components are: a) a central computer that is used both to determine which sets of faces are downloaded into players'"'"' game boards and to reconcile cash received by a salesperson with the number of downloaded games authorized to be played; b) players'"'"' game boards, each of which is adapted to receive enabling messages from a sales unit, to display enabled sets of playable indicia simulative of a bingo card and to modify that display responsive to a player'"'"'s input; and c) the sales unit, which is adapted both to send an enabling message to a player'"'"'s game board responsive to a manual input from a salesperson, and to record each such enabling transaction for later upload to the central computer. Another feature of the system is a switching arrangement for controlling a LCD display in a manner simulative of the use of a conventional ink dauber in marking a paper bingo card. This may be done by using a permanent magnet disposed on a simulative dauber that cooperates with a Hall-effect, or other, magnetic field sensor disposed behind an LCD display cell.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A gaming system for use by an operator and a plurality of players in playing a bingo-like game, the system comprising:
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computer means adapted to be controlled by the operator to download data representative of a patterned array of indicia into each of a plurality of game board computers, the computer means further adapted to communicate a respective enabling message to a predetermined one of the game board computers responsive to receiving a payment from one of the players; and
whereinthe predetermined game board computer is adapted to display the respective patterned array of indicia only after receiving the enabling message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A game board for playing a bingo-like game, the game board comprising:
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first display means adapted to display a first patterned array of indicia on a first portion of the game board, wherein each of the indicia of the first plurality thereof is displayed in a respective display cell;
display control means adapted to alter the visible appearance of a selected one of the first plurality of indicia responsive to the player bringing a marking means proximate that cell displaying the selected indicium;
second display means for displaying a second patterned array of indicia on a second portion of the game board separate from the first portion thereof; and
switching means having an output to the display control means, wherein the display control means is further adapted to replace the display of the first patterned array with a display of the second patterned array responsive to the output. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In a display apparatus for a bingo-like game wherein a patterned array of a predetermined number of indicia are separately displayed in a respective predetermined number of display cells and wherein a player alters the visual appearance of a selected indicium by bringing a marking device proximate the cell wherein the selected indicium is displayed, an improvement comprising:
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a computer adapted to control the display, the computer having a computer memory operatively associated therewith, the computer memory storing a representation of the respective indicium displayed in each of the respective display cells;
a respective sensor operatively associated with each of the display cells, each sensor adapted to sense the proximate presence of the marking device, each sensor having a respective output to the computer; and
wherein the computer is adapted to replace the representation of the selected indicium stored in the computer memory with a representation of an altered indicium responsive to receiving an output from that sensor operatively associated with the selected display cell. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A apparatus for displaying an indicium of a plurality thereof, each of the indicia respectively associated with a predetermined bingo-like game in a session comprising a plurality of the bingo-like games, the apparatus comprising:
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a movable member having the indicium disposed thereon;
selection means operable by a player; and
means for moving the movable member to display the selected indicium. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of playing a bingo-like game wherein prior to the game each of a plurality of players pays an operator for a respective playable face that is one of a first plurality of playable faces, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing each player with a respective game board of a plurality thereof, each game board comprising a visually alterable display, each game board further comprising a respective game board memory having stored therein data representative of a second plurality of playable faces, the second plurality comprising a subset of the first plurality, the second plurality selected so that no two game board memories contain data representative of the same face; and
b) communicating an enabling message from a computer controlled by the operator to the respective game board responsive to the respective player paying the operator for the playable face, whereby the respective game board displays the respective playable face. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. In a bingo-like game wherein a patterned array of indicia are displayed on a display apparatus at a player'"'"'s location, and wherein the player uses a marking means to mark a predetermined one of the indicia, an improvement characterized in that:
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the marking means comprises a permanent magnet;
the display apparatus comprises a plurality of display cells, each of the cells adapted to separately display one of the indicia; and
a respective sensor is disposed adjacent each display cell, such that each of the sensors is adapted to sense the proximate presence of the magnet, each of the sensors having a respective output to a computer, and wherein the computer is adapted to alter that indicium displayed in a cell when the marking means is adjacent thereto. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. In a game board apparatus for playing a bingo-like game, the apparatus comprising a display means for displaying a patterned array of indicia, and a control means adapted to alter the display of one of the indicia responsive to a player'"'"'s input, an improvement comprising:
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a sealed housing portion of the game board;
a main battery disposed within the sealed housing, the main battery operatively connected to a power supply circuit adapted to supply regulated electric power to the control means; and
a back-up battery disposed within the sealed housing, the back-up battery operatively connected to the power supply circuit;
wherein the power supply circuit comprises selection means adapted to selectively draw unregulated electric power from only a selected one of the main battery and the back-up battery. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification