PROBABILITY-GENERATING SYSTEM AND GAME FOR USE THEREWITH

• US 3,580,581 A
• Filed: 12/26/1968
• Issued: 05/25/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard C. Raven
• Original Assignee: Richard C. Raven
• Inventors: Raven, Richard C.
• Application Number:
  US04/787,146
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• US Class Current: 463/22
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

In order to select an event at random from a set of possible events, wherein each event has a preselected and different probability of being selected, an electrical circuit is provided for generating a continuous cyclic succession of electrical output signals each corresponding to one event in which the time duration of each signal is individually controlled and preset to provide a different time portion of the total combined time duration of all of the output signals and means are provided for interrupting this continuous train of output signals at an arbitrary point in time, whereby the output signal occurring at the time of this interruption is sensed and the event associated therewith is accordingly selected. Furthermore, a series of these circuits is disclosed in combination with a set of visual monitors for symbolically displaying the selection of events to provide a game for amusement and entertainment in which each event and combinations thereof is assigned a winning or losing value.

Claims

1. Apparatus for generating a set of possible events and selecting an event therefrom at random, wherein each such event may have an individual predetermined probability of being selected comprising, a recycling electrical pulse counter providing a succession of electrical counting states at an output thereof in response to electrical pulses received at an input thereof wherein each said state is designated as one of said events, timing circuit means connected to said counter and responsive to said counter output being in each state for a time duration selected for that state to issue one said pulse to said counter input advancing the state thereof comprising an astable multivibrator having a plurality of RC timing networks for providing a corresponding plurality of switching periods therefor and having an output connected to said counter input for issuing one said pulse thereto after each said switching period, and means connected to said counter output and being responsive in succession to each said state thereof to effectively connect a separate one of said networks to said multivibrator, and means for interrupting the advancement of said counter at random whereby the one of said states occurring at such interruption represents a selection of a corresponding one of said events.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein saId counter output is provided by a set of separate outputs each for issuing a signal representing one of said counter states, said RC networks being formed by a single capacitor connected to said multivibrator and a plurality of resistors individually connected at one of their ends to said set of outputs and a plurality of diodes individually connected between the other ends of said resistors and said capacitor and being responsive to said signals appearing in succession at said separate outputs to effectively connect an associated one of said resistors to said capacitor.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2, said counter comprising a plurality of bistable devices interconnected to provide a sequence of binary count states, a decoding circuit connected to said devices and having a plurality of output terminals providing said set of separate counter outputs each issuing an electrical signal in response to one of said binary count states.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, said astable multivibrator comprising a unijunction transistor having first and second electrical conditions and being connected and responsive to each of said RC networks in succession to switch between its first and second condition to issue one of said series of pulses to said counter input.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1, for use as a game of amusement and further comprising, electrically operated monitor means for visually displaying a representative symbol of each said event, said monitor means being connected to said counter output and responsive to each state thereof to display a symbol corresponding to the event associated with that counter state.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5, and bistable means connected to said monitor means for operating and storing each display symbol thereof, gating means connected between counter and bistable means for setting said bistable means in response to said counter output, said gating means being connected to and operated by said means for interrupting the advancement of said counter such that the states appearing at said counter output upon such interruption is passed by said gating means to and for setting said bistable means to store and display an associated one of said symbols.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6, and pulse generator and cooperating timeout counter means for driving said counter through one or more full cycles of counting states in response to said means for interrupting advancement of said counter by said timing circuit means such that said monitor means and bistable means are responsive to said counter output through said gating means to momentarily display each said symbol in succession and thereafter store and display the symbol selected by the counter state occurring upon said interruption.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 6, wherein said means for interrupting advancement of said counter states comprised, a bistable switching means having first and second states and means for disposing said switching means in its second state;

said timing circuit means being connected to said switching means and responsive to the second state thereof to interrupt the issuance of said pulses to said counter input, said pulse generator means having an output connected to said counter input and being connected to and operated by said switching means in its second state to issue a succession of pulses at its output, said timeout counter being connected between said pulse generator output and said switching means and being responsive to a predetermined number of pulses issued by said generator means to dispose said switching means in its first state.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein the time duration between consecutive pulses issued by said pulse generator means is substantially greater than the average time duration between consecutive pulses issued by said timing circuit.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein said game of amusement is based on simultaneous occurrence of certaIn combinations of events, each such event being selected from one of a plurality of event sets, and one said counter and circuit means and monitor means for each said event set, said means for interrupting counter advancement being jointly connected to each said circuit means for generally simultaneous interruption of pulses therefrom to dispose each associated said counter in one of its states providing a selected event from each said event set.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10, and output gating means connected to said outputs of said counters and responsive to the occurrence of predetermined combinations of individual counter states and the events corresponding thereto to issue an electrical control signal whereby the occurrence of certain event combinations may be electrically detected.

12. Method of generating a set of events and selecting an event therefrom at random, wherein each such event has an individually preset probability of being selected, the steps comprising, initiating a self-sustaining recycling pulse counter through a continuous succession of counting states, wherein each said state is designated as one of said events and wherein said counter is provided with an input for receiving a series of pulses thereat each pulse advancing said counter one state and a set of outputs each for issuing a signal representing one of said states, advancing said pulse counter through said states in response to each counter output by issuing one said pulse to said counter input, controlling the time periods in which said counter is in each of its states and adjusting said time period for at least one said state to be different from said periods for the remaining states, interrupting at random the advancement of said counter such that the one of said states occurring thereupon provides the selection of the corresponding one of said events, and displaying said randomly selected event.

13. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the summation of time periods for all of said counter states is less than 1 second, and said step of interrupting comprises interrupting said series of pulses by means adapted for manual operation.