Prize awarding remote terminal base system

• US 6,035,279 A
• Filed: 01/25/1996
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Montangero E Montangero SRL
• Original Assignee: Markidea SRL
• Inventors: Montangero, Enrico, Reato, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fiul, Dan
• Application Number:
  US08/591,374
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/17, 379/93.13, 379/93.12, 273/269, 273/138.2, 705/14, 705/10, 705/16, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/14.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/006 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for awarding a prize in a commercial establishment which includes at least one data terminal for communicating over at least one data line with a central processing unit, the communicating of the at least one data terminal including a data stream of information representing a commercial transaction performed at the data terminal, the improvements are:

a) detecting the data stream;

b) extracting signals identifying the commercial transaction performed at the at least one terminal from the detected data stream;

c) comparing the identifying signals with predetermined reference signals and generating an enabling signal when a predetermined relationship exists between the reference and identifying signals; and

d) generating a win signal upon receipt of the enabling signal; and, for awarding a prize based on the win signal.

Claims

1. A prize awarding system comprising:

at least one data line (11) and terminal (10,

     49), said terminal (10,

     49) generating a data stream along said data line indicating a first commercial transaction relative at least to a first product;

detecting means (13) for detecting said data stream;

selecting means (16) cooperating with said detecting means (13) for extracting from said data stream signals identifying said first commercial transaction and first product;

comparing means (17) for comparing said signals with codes stored in a memory (18) identifying a second commercial transaction and second product and emitting an enabling signal (19) on detecting a predetermined relationship between said first and second commercial transaction and products; and

generating means (20) for generating a win probability signal in the presence of said enabling signal (19).

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generating device (20) is responsive to said win probability signal with an adjustable probability P for generating a win signal (21).

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said probability P depends on selection signals generated by probability selecting means (25).

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said probability selecting means (25) are supplied with signals indicating the traffic conditions along said data line (11).

5. A system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said pseudo-random generating means (20) supply said win signal (21) to prize awarding means (26) in which prize codes and awarding conditions are stored for said prize awarding means (26) to supply a prize awarding signal (28) to indicating means (29, 31).

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said indicating means (31) is at said terminal (10, 49).

7. In a method for awarding a prize in a commercial establishment which includes at least one data terminal for communicating over at least one data line with a central processing unit, said at least one data terminal communicating a data stream of information representing a first commercial transaction relative at least to a first product performed at said data terminal, the improvements comprising the steps of:

a) detecting said data stream;

b) extracting identification signals identifying said first commercial transaction and first product from said detected data stream;

c) comparing said identification signals with predetermined reference signals identifying a second commercial transaction and second product, and emitting an enabling signal when a predetermined relationship exists between said first and second commercial transactions and products; and

d) generating a win signal in response to said enabling signal for awarding a prize based on said win signal.

8. The method of awarding prizes as claimed in claim 7, wherein generating said win signal further comprises providing a probability of said generating of said win signal as a function of predetermined parameters.

9. The method of awarding prizes as claimed in claim 8, further including the step of supplying said win signal to a prize awarding means for generating a prize awarding signal representing a prize to be awarded.

10. The method of awarding prizes as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of generating said prize awarding signal includes randomly selecting a prize code.

11. Prize awarding system wherein a number of cash registers (10) or readers (49) for identification cards are connected over at least one transmission line (11) to at least one central processing unit (12);

each cash register (10) or reader (49) for identification cards supplying said processing unit (12) date relative to sales;

said prize awarding system comprising a detecting element (13) provided along said transmission line (11) for supplying a copy of the data stream along the transmission line to an auxiliary device (14);

said detecting element monitoring data stream between said cash registers (10) or readers(49) for identification cards and said central processing unit (12) without interfering with the data so that the signals emitted by each cash register (10) or reader (49) for identification cards and transmitted over said transmission line are also acquired in parallel by said auxiliary device (14), said auxiliary device further comprising;

a selecting device (16) receiving said signals from the transmission line;

said selecting device (16) extracting identification codes relative to the products purchased at the cash registers (10) or reader (49) for identification cards;

comparing device (17) comparing the extracted identification codes with predetermined stored (18) codes for generating an enabling signal upon at least one extracted identification code being found to match a predetermined stored code,

pseudo random device (20) receiving said enabling signal for emitting a win signal (21) with an adjustable probability (P) depending on a number of predetermined conditions,

prize awarding device (26) receiving said win signal (21) and co-operating with a memory (27) containing a number of prize or discount codes so that in the event that a win signal is generated, a code corresponding to a prize or a discount is selected in said memory (27) and the prize or discount is shown to a customer.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said adjustable probability depends on selection signals generated by probability selecting means (25).

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said probability selecting means (25) are supplied with signals indicating the traffic conditions along said data line for reducing said probability alongside an increase in customer traffic at said cash registers (10) or reader (49) for identification cards.

14. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein display means (29) co-operate with said prize awarding device (26) to display said prize or discount.

15. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein coding means (30) are interposed between said data line (11) and said prize awarding device (26) for coding said win signal (21) and sending the signal to a cash register (10) or reader (49) for identification cards that is provided with display means (31) for indicating a winning purchase made at that particular cash register (10) or reader (49) for identification cards.

16. A system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a protection device (32) for supplying prize awarding enabling signals under predetermined memorised condition.

17. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said pseudo random device (20) generates said:

win signal (21) upon a given amount of expenditure being detected as said cash register (10) or reader (49) for identification cards.

18. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said pseudo random device (20) generates said win signal (21) upon said identification card (50) being presented a given number of times within a given period.