CA2117352A1 - Promotional game method and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A patron inserts a coded game card (32, 38) into a game machine (10) which reads the code and determines whether the game card has been played within a designated time period. If the game card has been played within such period, the game machine is not permitted to operate and a message will be generated.
If the card has not been played within the time period, the game machine operates and randomly positions a number of product and/or service representations (17) with respect to one another. Prescribed combinations of the representations permit the patron to win a prize.
Symbols (19), which may include symbols representing a business identity, may optionally be employed as wild cards in forming the prescribed combinations. In addition to bearing a unique game card code, the game card can also contain establishment codes which permit a game card to be played only at particular establishments. Other game cards can be specially coded to provide maintenance instructions to the game machine.

Description

2 PCr/13S92/10519 DF.C:r'RTPq~TON
A pROMOTTO~l~T. t~ ~nD ,~Nn ~pp~R~ us T~RF~FOR
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile ~e~ uction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwi~e re~erves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The ~~ ?nt application is a continuation-in-part application of application Serial No. 07/821,988 filed on January 16, 1992.
k~.~r~ 1 F~eld The present invention relates to games and, more particularly, relates to games in which prizes are awarded. Still more particularly, the ~le~e~t invention relates to games in which the prizes awarded are the p~v~cts displayed as-a re~ult of playing the game.
R~ . ~ "~ rt ~t is customary for all types of busi ne--~F to promote their products and services by offering tho~e ~ u_L~ and ~ervice~ at more attractive prices. Such promotion~ typically involve the u~e Of ~-Ot~E~"c~ such as - buy one-get one free ~0~~-O~ o ~~-o .~ redeemable for products or services at r-A~c~A price~ or for free, rebate ~ou~-o-,ç-, etc. These promotional te~ ues are, at best, only marginally effective at promoting the good~ and services of businef--6 and, accordingly, the extraordinary ~Yp~te in ronA~ting these promotions is hardly justified. Thu~, in promotions employing C~ ..C, the c~ .c are typically distributed through newfipapers, magazine~ and mass mailings to households, and therefore mo~tly reach ro~ ~ers who are totally di~interested in the particular product or service being promoted. Of tho~e con~umers that may potentially be intere~ted in the particular ~u~- or service, many c~nnot be bothered or do not remember to clip the ~PG~I
from the new~paper or magazine and bring it to a store C A 2 1 1 7 3 5 ~or redemption. Other consumers may collect the ~o ~ , but fail to redeem Q~me prior to their ~ expiration dates. The~e burdens placed on consumers result in low ~ou~cn redemption rates and, hence, inefficient and ineffective promotional ~L Oy~ ams by busi r~ O.
Other promotional tec~niques which are frequently employed by businesses are similarly inefficient in that they are not targeted to narrowly defined ~o~ of potential customers. Accordingly, these promotional schemes, which include contests, ~-ee~_Lakes, free product giveaways, etc., suffer from drawbacks similar to those e1.~o!-.Lered when using ~ ~>~1-~~
lS In order to o~ ome the poor results which have been obtained with these cu..~el.Lional promotional scheme~, attempts have been made to devise ~ G~ r ams which are targeted to more select ~ of consumers.
In one such system, shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,723,212 i~sued February 2, 1988, the purchase of certain products cau~es the generation of ~i~Co?~nt ~G-.~.O~.c which may be u~ed to purchase different products from the ones originally purrh-~e~. Each item purr~-r-~ is examined to ~ee if a cou~ , is to be generated, and when all it~-Q have been examined and the maximum number of coupons determined, a suitable number of ~i~Co?~t coupons are printed and i~?~. The patron does not take part in the ~ -ss other than to select the original products for purchase. There is no display of the manufa~-u~ 8 product~, and the prizes awarded, if any, are intentionAlly different from the ones the patron has ~elected.
Other attempt~ have been made to develop promotional scheme~ which will be of more interest to potential cu~tomers. Typically, such schemes center around the playing of a ga~e. In one system, described in U.S. Patent No. 5,007,641 i~ued April 16, l99l, a number of tokens having the 6a~e comoon code are W093/14K2 PCT~US92/1~19 C A 2 1 1 7 3 52di~tributed to patrons by an e~tablishment or packaged with the ~ Gd~ct line to be promoted. The tok~nc must be L~o~l,L by the patron to the establi~hment and played in the game device. Certain of the tokenc result in the award of a prize which must be claimed at a redemption booth. The system it~elf does not display the manufa~Lu~ products and therefore neither improves the patron's memory of such products nor triggers a desire to purchase such products. Mo~eover, the prizes awarded bear no re~emblance to the code shown on the token or the game display.
A further known device, disclosed in U.S.
Patent No. 4,982,346 i ~ A January 1, 1991, shows visual adverti~ements of various products and dispen--~
~ou~-.". if the patron wins. The win is determined by ma~çhi n~ the number on a readable card with a .e ~~lected ~et of wi nn i n~ numbers in the device.
~g-in, the actual pr~ze won i~ not dhown by t-he device and bears no direct relatio~c~ip to what is shown.
Thue, de~pite the con6iderable effort that has gone into the development of many different promotional sy~te~s, there remains a need for a more effective sy~tem which will attract the attention of potential cu8tomere and which can acquaint these customers with the ~.G~ucts and/or service~ being promoted by a business. Preferably, this system can be operated within a busines~ establi~hment where it can be targeted to a more ~elect group of potential customers.
Summarv of the Tnvention one aspect of the invention provides a promotional gaming method which includes the step of e8~hl i r~ i n~ ~t 1ea8t two separ~te series of repre~entations, including representations of products, services or both on a game machine. Most preferably, at least ~ome of these re~ ~ntation~ are ~ nt in two or more of these ~erie~. Alternatively or additionally, the ~erie~ ~ay include ~wild card~ ~ymbols. The method further includes the step of t upon play by a patron, W093/14K2 PCT/~S92/l~lg ~A 2 1 1 735 ~ndomly placing the _eries with re~pect to one another and with respect to a fixed ref-~eu~ location on the game machine. One L _~1 eBentation of a product or service on a first series may at tiJes be aligned with one ~ C~L asentation of the product or service on the other eeries to form a wi nni ~g combination. Where "wild card" ~ymbols are ~.~~snt, a winning combination may be formed by a product or service L e~L esentation and a wild card _ymbol. The method further includes the step of awarding a prize to the patrons who form _uch a winning combination. Moet preferably, the prize is a product or ~ervice which is related in some way to the products or ~ervices in the wi nni ng combination. The patron will naturally focuc his or her attention on the displayed Le~ ntations to see if a win~ing combination is formed. Because product or _ervice ~e~L ~ ~entations are di-e-play-d, the promotional game according to this aspect of the invention will focus the patron'_ attention directly on the product or ~ervice L_p,~-~ntations. The patron cannot play the gane without becoming con_cious of a product or service being promoted. MO~ L~e~, the game is enjoyable and in~c~e patron_ to play.
In preferred methods according to this aspect - of the invention, each patron who wishes to play the promotional game in an effort to win prize~ obtains a game card by regi_tering at a _uitable ~ervice desk.
Certain identifying information about the patron is L e~ ed and a uniquely coded game card is i~s~ to ~uch patron and cross-refc.e..~_d ag~in~t his identifying information. The game card desirably also includes a code identifying the establi~hment in which the game card can be played.
In these preferred methods, the patron takes his game card and in erts it into a game machine to initiate play. In highly preferred methods, the establish~ent code i first ch cked to determine whether the game c~rd i~ entitled to be played on that game machine. The unique code of the game card identifying W093~t~K2 PCT/US92/1~19 2the patron is then ~Pcke~ against the stored codes of game cardc played within a prescribed period, such as 24 hour6, and if it is found alre_dy stored, signifying that it has initiated play within the last 24 hour period, the game machine is locked out and the date and time of the previous play and an a~ G~l iate message are displayed on a visual di~play of the game machine.
In the event no match is found with stored code~, the r_ndom selection device is operated and a visual di~play of the peripheral surfaces of, for example, three adjacent w~eo1~ is ~hown by the game ~achinc. On the~e peripheral ~urfaces are depicted a series of images ~e~L~enting products, ~ervices, manufa~u~O~ and other bu~ine~s symbols and other indicia. Since the three Wh- ~1 s ~pin independently, variou~ combinations of the~e images can be formed entircly at random, including certain combinations for which prize~ can be awarded. =- - -In h;~hly preferred method~, the g~me machine may di~play ~ore than one image at a time on each of thew~?-1r. Thu~, for example, when the wheel~ stop moving there ~ay be di6played an _rray of nine i~ages con~i~ting of three image~ on each of the three wheels.
Al~o~gh only three image~ will be co~pared to determine whether there i~ _ winn;n~ combination, the display of the- additional six images increa~es the advertising effect. In a variant of thi~ method, the additional six i~age~ ~ay remain fixed and only the images in those positions which must be compared to determine whether there is a winning combination will be moved randomly.
Another a~pect of the invention provide~ a gu~e ~achine for playing the promotional ga~e. The game ~achine include~ a display for estab1iF~;ng a reference point and at l-a~t two ~ep~rate ~eries of imageC, at l-a~t one of which includes re~ tations of products, ~ervices or a co~bination of products and ~ervice~, the two ~ ~ ies being independently movable with respect to one anot~er and with re~pect to the refe~e.l~ location WOg3/14K2 PCT/US92tl~19 C A 2 ~ 1 7 3 52so that an image in one of the series can be aligned at the ref~le..~e location with an image in another of the ~ ~eries to form various combinations, select ones of which being wi nn i nq combinations. The game machine ~ s further includes movement means for moving the series with l~p~Ct to one another and means for signaling that one of the winning combinations has been formed. Also, means are provided for awarding a prize on the formation of a wi nni ~ combination.
In preferred embodiment~ of the game machine, the code on a game card in~erted into the game machine actuates the movement mean~. In highly preferred game machine~, maint~n~nce cards in~erted into and read by the game machine instruct the game machine to perform lS certain ~ me functions.
The game machine can be u~ed to display the fact that prizes have been awarded and between plays can display ~re~Gribed me~sages about the products and services being promoted, the manufacturer, the establishment or the game it~elf. These messages can take ~everal forms, including ~till" adverti~ements, banner~ having me~sage~ ~crolling acro~ them and moving video~.
It is an object of this invention to provide a promotional game ma~h~ne which is simple to use and can be readily ~e~lG~.ammed to cbange the ~lGd~cts and/or services being promoted.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a game machine which can initiate the awarding of prize~ in accordance with the objects displayed and in amounts commensurate with the number and type of u~L, ~ervice or ~ymbol images di~played.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a g~me machine which can only be played by a given patron a fixed number of times within a fixed time period.
Other objscts and f ature~ of the invention will be pointed out in tbe following description and W093/14K2 PCr/US92~1~19 -7- .
1 3 ~laims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which disclose, by way of example, the principles of the invention and the be~t mode- which have been presently contemplated for carrying them out.
~rief De~rip~iQn of the Drawin~s In the drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference characters:
FIG. l is a front view of a game machine ~v.._L~ucted in accordance with one embodiment of the lOinvention;
FIG. 2 ic a top plan view of a first form of ga~e card which can be employed with the game machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another form of 15g me card which can be employed with the game machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 4 is a highly schematic front view of one pos~ible display on ~he screen of the game machine of FIG. l;
20FIG. 5 is a highly sche~atic front view of another poQsible display on the ~creen of the game machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 6 is a highly sche~atic front view of yet another po~sible display on the ~creen of the game 25machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 7 i~ a top plan view of a rou~-o.. which may be j~ 6A by the game machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 8 ic a highly schematic front view of a screen at a location remote from the game machine of FIG. l; and FIGS. 9a and 9b together are a flow chart of the operation of the game machine of FIG. l.
~-6t Mode of CarrYina Out ~-he Tnvention Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown one embodi~ent of a game ~ac~i n~ 10 which may be installed in a ~tore and played in accordance with the ~ethods ~irclosed ~erein. Game machine lO includes a cabinet 12 to house a computer and the peripheral ele_L~..ic and ~~21 1 7352 mech-nical devices (not shown) required to operate and perform the various functions of the game machine In the upper portion of cabinet 12 is a video screen 14 which may be a TV monitor or the like Optionally, video screen 14 may be positioned in a location remote from cabinet 12, such as at an elevated level which can be more readily seen by patrons throughout the store The video- ~creen 14 displays computer-generated repre~entations of the peripheral surfaces of three adjacent wheels 16, 18 and 20 which can be rotated independently of one ~nother in a random fashion so that the effect is the same as watc~i~g the display of mech-~ical slot machines Screen 14 may also display a computeL ~enerated or permanently marked indicia 15 at a pre~elected reference location Rather than include depictions of lemons, cherries and other non-significant ~ymbol~, the wheels each carry a ~eries of images 17 which ~ cnt products and/or services - that a manufa~Lu~c~, distributor or other business wishes to promote As used herein, the term "~.od~cts" does not refer to generic products, but rather refers to the brand-n~me products of one or more manufa~-~Lc~ or distributor~ Al~o ~ used herein, the term n service ~e~ entation" refers to a representation of a physical article, apparatus or other thing which is commonly identified with a particular service or which is useful in connection with performing the service The wheels may also di~play trademark~, service marks or other symbols or logos l9 A~ociated with the manufa~Lu~e~, di~tributor or other bu~iness, which marks, ~ymbols or logo~ may ~erve as wild cards Alternatively, a store wi r~ i n~ to promote certain of its own products or scrvices or the products or services of another busine~s n place L ~ entations of those product~ or ~ervices 3~ on thc w~ , as well as symbols identifying the store which ~ay ~erve as wild card~ Further, the wheels may di~play i~age~ wh~ch partially ~ sent the foregoing products, services and/or sy~bolc so that upon the WO g3/14462 PCr/US92/10519 _g_ C A 2 1 1 7 3 52 alignment of select ones of these images, a complete ~e~esentation of one or more of the products, services and/or 6ymbols will be formed. The particular combinations of product and/or service representations for which prizes will be awarded, both with and without wild cards, are determined in advance and ~.u~.ammed into game mar~in~ 10, as will be Ai -C~C-~~ more fully below.
The game machine 10 is operated by the insertion of a game card, such as card 32 shown in FIG. 2 or card 38 shown in FIG. 3, into slot 22 of game ~achine 10. G~me card 32 has a bar-code section 34 bearing a unique code which ~ ?nts a particular patron and which thus identifies the game card.
Preferably, the bar-code section 34 will also include a portion coded with information on the establishment or chain of eRtablishments in which the game card 32 may be played. For example, each supermar~et chain- and each store in the chain may be identified by coded characters. The game machine 10 can then be set to operate only if it reads the code of the chain in which it is in~talled or, if ~pecial pro~otions in one or more stores are conAl~cted, only those game cards 32 which contain the codes of the chain and tho~e selected stores would operate the game ma~h;~e 10. Similarly, game card 38 hac a magnetic stripe 40 upon which has been ~e_~ded a ~imilar unique code which represents a partiCl~lAr ~aL.o.l and which therefore identifies the game card, which code desirably al~o ~ e~ ents the establi~hment or c~ain of e~tablishments in which game card 38 can be played. The name of the chain or the particular e~tablich~ent at which the game card is valid may be printed upon the card itself, as at 36 on game card 32, or 42 on ga~e card 38.
Located b~hi ~A slot 22 iS a guitable reader (not ~hown) for reading bar codes of the type contained on game card 32 or the magnetic ~tripe code of the type contained on game card 38. In thi~ regard, any bar code WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/1~19 or magnetic stripe reader capable of ~ ,olLing an RS232 interface at 9600 baud may be used. The data read by the reader will be used a~ set out below.
A further slot 24 is provided to dispense Co~lo,lfi representing the prizes awarded. R~inA slot 24 may be a feoAi~g mec~nism (not shown) for Ai~p~nsing ~L p~ inted ~O.~.O,c stored in the game machine, or a printer (not shown) which first prints the required ~o~o.. on a roll of blank paper or partially pre-printed forms on which may appear the store name, address, advertising information, etc., and which then feeds the completed, ~eVcl Ld ~ OU~ t~ouyl. slot 24.
Referring to the flow chart of FIG. 9, the general method for operating the promotional game is set out. First, a patron goes to a service desk or the like and requests a game card. The service desk personnel will take certain identification data from the patron which clearly identifies that patron only. -The-patron's na~e, address, social security number, driver's license number and similar data can be used. Optionally, certain biGy~hic information may also be taken, including the patron's sex, age, marital status, number of children, etc. The data is entered into input device 26 by de~ ing the keys of keypad 28. (See FlG. 1.) Next, the identification data is compared with like identification data stored in the input device 26 to determine if this identification data has been stored previously. If it matches previously stored identification data, it means the patron already has been ;~ A a game card 32 or 38, the fact of the match i~ shown by a suitable display, and no new game card is ~ -A. In the a~ e of a match, a coded game card 32 or 38 is irS"?~ to the patron, and all of the entered data is permanently stored in the input device 26. The nu~ber of the game card is per~anently stored in input device 26 with the identification data of the patron so that the ~L~cn can be identified by his identification WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/1~19 CA 21 1 7 3 52 data or game card number. In the event a game card is lost, the patron can ~ L the lo s to persons at the service de~k who will enter additional data into the file of the patron in the input device 26 which will render the lost game card invalid for play in game machine lo. A new game card 32 or 38 with a new code can then be i~ to such patron. At prescribed intervals, the input device 26 may be co~ected by a ~uitable cable (see FIG. 1) to the game machine 10 to uplo_d the codes of the invalid game cards to a permanent memory location in game machine 10.
Alternatively, a keyboard (not shown~ may be temporarily connected to the g_me machine 10 to enter invalid game card codes directly into the permanent memory location of game machine lo. In a preferred arrangement, the information regarding invalid game card codes may be downlQ-~A onto a di~k or other e_o~dable media (not ~hown) which may then be inserted into game machine lo and uplo-~-A into the permanent memory location therein.
In _ny event, if any ga~e card ~e~G~ Led as lost is thereafter in~erted far play, the g~me machine 10 will not be activated. A message ~ay be displayed on video ~E ~n 14 or at the service desk to indicate that this i~ an invalid game card.
Once it ha~ been io~ A to him, the patron may insert his game card into slot 22 of game machine 10 which reade the code in bar code section 34 on game card 32 or the code on magnetic stripe 40 of game card 38. The portion of the game card code bearing the establi~hment information ~ay fir~t be compared by game machine 10 with establishment codes permanently stored therein to ascertain that the ga~e card is being played in an establishment in which it is accepted. If the gamp card is not accepted by this particular es~ahli~,hment, a suitable ~es~age to that effect will be di~played on video D~e~ 14 _nd play will not be initiated. On the other hand, if the establish~ent infor~ation in the game card code is acceptable, the W093/14~2 PCT/US92/1~19 random selection device in game machine lO will be actuated automatically to initiate play.
As u~ed thlo~J1.o~L this specification, the term "random" refers to a movement of the wheels 16, 18 ~ s and 20 with respect to one another and with respect to reference location 15 which appears to be entirely random to the playing patron. As will be ~i~ctlcc~ more fully below, the movement of the images on the wheels may be truly random in that it is not influenced by any instructions from the software operating the game machine. It should be empha~ized that this truly random movement of the images is the most preferred method for operating the game machine in accordance with the ~ t invention. u l~eL, there is the possibility of ~ amming the operating ~oftware of the game machine to ~ LLol the movement of these images to some extent to assure that a wi nn i ng combination is formed at ~e~-ribed times or at ~le~cribed intervals. ~lthough the influence of the software ~o..LLolling the operation of the game machi n~ may make the movement of the ~
with respect to one another lefic than truly random, ~uch movements will still appear to be truly random to the playing patron. This latter po~sibility is a less preferred method of operating the game machine.
In order to more equitably distribute the prizes awarded, the establishment may desire to limit how often each game card may be played during a pre~elected period of time. The number of plays permitted within the ~le~elected period of time may be limited to one or may be selected to be a number greater than one. For example, each game card may be limited to only one play during each ~w_,.Ly-four hour period, five plays in a one week period, etc. In order to accomplish this result, each time the in~ertion of a game card into slot 22 of gAme machine lO actuates the random selection device of the g~me machine, the code on that game card i- stored in a temporary memory location in game machine lO. Stored along with the game card code are WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/10~l9 ~A21 1 7 7 52 the date and time of play, as determined by an internal clock in game machine 10. If desired, the game ~achine 10 can al o be ~y,~mmed to store information regarding prizes won by the patron on that play, if any.
As the patron inserts his game card into slot 22 of game machine 10, the game machine can compare the game card code on that card with all of the game card codes previously stored in the temporary memory of game mac~ine 10 to determine whether the random selection device should be actuated. In the event game machine lo dcter~ines that the game card code has not been played the maximum permi~sible number of times within the preselected period of time, the random selection device will be actuated and the patron's game card code, the date and the time of play will again be stored together in the temporary memory location in game machine 10.
Thus, a particular game card code may be stored a~ one or more entries in the temporary msmory location, the date and time of play being ~tored along with each entry. ~o~ the game machine 10 determine that the game card code ha~ already been played the maximum permissible number of time~, the random ~election device will not be actuated, and in~tead, the dates and times of each of the patron' 8 plays may be displayed on video ~creen 14 along with a video and/or audio message indicating that play ha~ been denied.
The internal clock in game machine 10 can be u~ed to periodically clear from the temporary memory location of the game machine the data regarding those 30 ~aL~G~5 who had played. Thus, the machine may check the date and time of play included with each game code ~.Lly, and may delete each entry having an noldn date and time, i.e., a date and time more than a ~ ected period before the chec~ing and deletion cycle.
Therefore, at the end of the ~r~!~e~ected period, each ~G.- will be able to reco-mence his playing of the game ~achine. The clearing of the data stored in the t mporary me~ory will not affect that information stored WO93/14~2 PCT/US92/1~19 ~A2 1 1 7352 in the permanent memory, such as the ~e_o~d of invalid game codes. Alternatively, the machine may simply clear all of the entries from the temporary memory at a selected time, such as at midnight each day or at the end of a week.
In a less preferred emhoAiment, all possible game card codes are permanently stored in game ~achine lO, and each time a particular game card is played a temporary notation i~ made within the game machine a~ to the date and time of play. The additional information provided by the~e notations is then used by the game machine to determine if that game card is entitled to be played at the time of ~ ~entation.
As ~et out above, the dicplay during the lS operation of the random ~election device in res.ponce to the insertion of a game card 32 or 38 is the peripheral surface~ of three wh~el ~ 16, 18 and 20 which move independently of one another in a random fashion until they ~top at their final ~ettings. In these final ~etting~, one image on each wheel is displayed in alignment with the reference location 15. This alignment will typically be a linear arrangement in either a horizontal row, a vertical row or a diagonal row, alignment in a horizontal row being the most preferred. Al~hQ~gh three wheels are described, it should be under tood that game machine lO may include at least two w~-~l 5 or any number of wheels greater than two. The peripheral ~urfacec of the wheels are marked with the images of a geries of ~t V~U~S and/or services which are being promoted. These may include, for in~tance, a ~eries of products of a particular manufa~Lu~e~ or distributor, the products and/or services of the e~tabli~hment in which the game machine is installed, the products and/or services of a different Q~tabli~ment, or combinations of any or all of the above. In addition, image~ of symbolc or logos identifying the manufa~-u~, the di~tributor, the e~t~hli~hment or another bufiines~, collectively referred W093/14K2 PCT/US92/lOSt9 2 to herein as "busineQs symbolcn, may be placed on the wheel surfacec to act as wild cards. No actual wheels exist, but these images re~ult from the operation of the software within the game machine lO in a well-known manner.
The eoftware required to generate the product representations, service Le~L~-entations and business symbol images; to determine the particular combinations of images that will be awarded a prize; to determine the odds of forming thece winning combinations; to display a particular message or ~eries of mF-~-gDs; and to perform any other task in connection with the operation of game maC~ine lO ic .__~.d~1 on a disk or other storage media in~ert~ble in the g~me machine. The software, a preferred listing of which is shown in Arp~n~iy A
attached hereto, may be run on any computer system r~nning WINDOWS from Microsoft Corp. Version 3.l or greater and capable of ~ ,o~Li~ th~e -requisite peripheral equipment, preferred models of which are identified on the cover page of the attached software li~ting. By placing the g~e ~oftware on a removable di~k, any of the~e parameter~ may be changed by merely replacing the storage di~k with a new disk having the desired dat_. For example, the products whose le~L e~entations appear upon the operation of game machine lO can be changed merely by inserting a new disk having the proper information. Similarly, a new stor~ge di~k c~ be Qupplied to change the odds that a wi nn i n~
combination will be formed on any one play of game machine lO. To increa~e the odds that any one particular product or service .e~,~-entation will be part of a winnin~ combination, the number of times ~ entations or partial .e~r~ ntations of that product or sQrvice appear on the w~ Q is increased.
Similarly, the odds of forming a winning combination with a parti~lar product or service Le~.~~entation can be decrea~ed by decreasing the number of times W093/14K2 PCT/US92/l~lg CA21 1 735~e~ entations or partial ~e~Lesentations of that product or service appear on the wheels.
Based upon the particular combination of images which are in alignment in reference location 15 ~ S at the end of the spin~i~g of wheels 16, 18 and 20, a prize can be awarded. The criteria for determining which combinations will be awarded a prize can be selected from several different alternatives by an a~ iate ~LGyLaming of the coftware which operates game machine 10. In one method for forming a winning combination, the product and/or ~ervice representations on at lea~t two w~-~l fi will match one another.
Obviously, this method reguires that the ~ e~ esentations of at least some of the products or services AppeAr on at lea~t two of the wh~ls ~o that matches can occur.
For example, in game machines employing three wh~ 16, 18 and 20, a wi nni ng combination may require that the product and/or ~ervice L.~L.--~tations aligned in ref~L~ _e location 15 when all three wheels come to rest be ideentical. This concept is illustrated in FIG. 4, in which wheels 16, 18 and 20 have each come to rest showing ~L~~entations of cheese dip in horizontal alignment. Other winni ng combinations in accordance with thiC method may be formed tl~Gu~ll the use of business ~ymbols which serve as wild cards. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, ~ 16 and 18 have come to rest displaying representations of cheese dip, while wheel 20 has come to rest di~playing the manufa~L~LeL's logo. It will be a~Le_iated that the use of business symbols as wild cards eliminates the need to have the representations of at least some of the products or service~ appear on at least two of the wheels. This is parti~lA-ly true in the case where only two wheels are used, where a winning combination may be formed by matc~ing a wild card symbol with a product or service representation. The extent to which the images on the wheels ~atch may determine the magnitude of the prize aw~rded. Thus, at the option of the business employing WO 93/14462 PCI'/I.,TS92/10519 CA21 1 73~ game machine 10 for promotional pul~o-e~~ the cc..~ L..ce of the three product ~e~essntations in FIG. 4 ~ay re~ult in, f or example, ten packages of ~h~ dip being awarded, while the combination of the ~ 5 matc~i~g product ~c~e~cntations on wheels 16 and 18 with the manufa~uler~8 logo on wheel 20 may result in an award of only three pa~Ages of cheese dip or cents-~f f ~ f or this product.
A method which is similar to, but less preferred than that described above employs game machines in which the three ~hr-l~ 16, 18 and 20 include partial ~ entations of products and/or services. In accordance with this method, a wi n~ ing combination de~irably would reguire the proper ~lignment of all Lh~ee wh~el~ to form a complete representation of the product or service, as ~hown in FIG. 6. It will be readily apparent that for co~binations in which less than all of the wh~el~ in the ~ame .machine are a~ iately aligned a complete .e~ entation of the ~v~u~L or ~ervice will not be formed and a win will not be produc d. Al~c~h the UB- of business symbols as wild c~rds would ~ ~..L complete ~ ntations from being formed, the u~e of such wild cards are contemplated herein to increase the odds of forming a 25 Wi nni ng combination.
In an alternate method, a w~ nn i n~ combination ~ay be for~ed by aligning le~ ~ntations of a parti~ type of p~v~ L or service on each of the wh~ or example, the three wheel F of game machine 10 may include ~epLe~entations of cereal products offered by different manufa~Lu~e~D. A wi nni ng combination may then be formed by aligning three repre~entations of cereal products offered by a ~ingle manufa~u~el. The repre~entations of the cereal product~ may all be different, or s-me ~ay match one anoth ~. The extent of the ~atch (i.e., two or even three of the rcpre~ ntations being identical) ~ay be u~ d to determine the ~agnitude of the prize awarded.

WO93/14~2 PCT/US92/1~19 ~d21 ~ 7352 In another example, game machine 10 may be installed in a video rental store and s:eel~ 16, 18 and 20 may include images of movie star~. The alignment of three images of one particular star, for instance Humphrey Bogart, may then be a wi~in~ combination entitling the winner to a free rental of a ~ovie by that star, in this case a movie starring Humphrey Bogart. In a variant of this method, the wi nn; ~q combination does not require that the ~e~~?ntations be of the ~ame type of product or service; rather they merely mu~t be related in some ~L ~- ~otermined fashion. Thus, for example, were game machine 10 to be in~talled in a fast food restaurant, a winnin~ combination ~ay comprise aligned ~e~ --entations of a hambul~e~, Lle~ fries and a soda, or orange juice, coffee and an egg sandwich. Should game machine 10 be installed in an automotive parts store, a wi nn i ng combination in accordance with this variant of operation may consist-of aligned le~L~-entations of cans of oil, an oil filter and an oil can ~pout. Since identical matcheF of product or service ~e~ ntations per se are not n- ~r~ry, it will be apparent that the representation of any particular product or service need not appear on more than one wheel to operate the game machine in accordance with this method. n~in, business symbol~ optionally may be used as wild cards in forming the wi nni nq combinations.
In yet another method, each play of the game machine will result in a winnin~ combination and the award of a prize. In accordance with this method, the magnitude of the prize will depend upon whether the winninq combination includes a match of two or more product or service ~e~ entations. Thus, for example, in game machine 10, for a combination in which each of the ~cd~ct and/or service ~e~es ntations on wheel~ 16, 18 and 20 are different, the ~a~.o~. may win an award of a pr~deter~ined discount on the ~.v~u~L or service appearing on wheel 16. If the ~G~U L or ~ervice representat1on on either of wheels 18 and 20 match the WOg3/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19 --19-- .
CA21 1 73~2~ tation on wheel 16, the patron may be awarded two tiJe~ or ~ome other multiple of the predetermined di~count on the product or ~ervice AproAring on wheel 16. Matc~in~ the product or service ~ 5 ,e~ ntations on wheels 18 and 20 may also result in the award of, for example, twice the predetermined ~ co~nt on the product or service ~pp~Aring on wheel 16, or a eimilar ~ o~t on the product or cervice who~e ~e~L ~ -?ntation8 on w~ 18 and 20 match.
Further, matching the product or service representations on all three of wh~ 16, 18 and 20 may result in an award of that product or ~ervice for free or ~ome other appL~iate award. Of cour~e, business symbols may also be used as wild cards in accordance with this method in order to ~nh~nce the v~G~ L~.ity for the patron to win a larger award. In a variant of this method, game machine 10 may include only a single wheel 16 and each patron may win an award related to the- product or service appearing on wheel 16 after a random rotation.
Preferably, the award will consist of the product or ~ervice free of charge or a predetermined ~ o~nt on the ~L G~UCt or service.
As is well known, regardless of the specific criteria used to determine wi nni n~ combinations, the ~,Gy.~m ~.,L~olling the random selection device of game machine 10 can be ~et to el~D~L e that a given number of prizes are awarded per a given number of plays and to assure a given distribution of the prizes is achieved in ~oncert with the desires of the business promoting its ~ GdU~LS or fiervices. As an alternative to ensure that prize~ are awarded regularly and in the desired value, the game mac~; n- may be ~.Gy.~m~ed to form predetermined W; nn i ng combination~ a mini~um nuDber of times in a prescribed period if priz-~ have not been awarded or have not been awarded in ~ufficient numbers during that period by the random selection proc~ ~. Thus, for exa~ple, ga~e machine 10 ~ay be ~lGy.~med to form a ccrtain win~ing combination at lea~t once in a tte~.Ly-W093/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19 C A ~ 1 1 7 3 5 2 four hour period to maintain patron interest. As to e~ch patron the ~election would be random. As ~ empha~ized above, ~yl~mming game machine lO so that the movement of wheels 16, 18 and 20 is infl~n~ by ~ 5 the operating software of the game machine is less desirable than having the wheels move in a truly random fashion.
The game mac~ine may be p~ Gy~ ammed in other ways to form predetermined wi nni n~ combinations on a less random ba~i~. Thu~, for example, it may be de~irable to ~aximize the promotional effect of the game by assuring that a winning combination is formed at a certain time or within a certain time period each day when the number of pa~lon_ in the establishment is at its gre_test. Also, the game machine may be ~ Gylammed to award a prize to a predetermined customer by forming a winnin~ combination upon r~a~in~ a ~~elected game code. Al~ gh th-~e- last two method~ for-~G~.Lrolling the formation of winning combinations may appear to be entirely random to the patron, the influence of the operating ~oftware for the game mar~ire makes them less th_n truly random. ~in, the~e are less preferred mode~ of operation.
Once it is determined that the display shows a wi nni ng combination, a signal is generated within game machine lO instructing that a prize is to be awarded and what that prize is. This ~ignal may be employed _o di~pen~e a pre-~ e_G~ ded ~ou~on stored within the game machine or to cause the printing within the game machine of a ~G-.E-GI~ (see 60 in FIG. 6) redeemable for the p~Gd~ or ~ervice won in the quantity indicated.
Alternatively, the signal may be directed to a di~play 70 at a ~ervice counter (~ee FIG. 7) where per~onnel at the counter may provide the required ~OU~G
or mark the actual ~v~u~- won ~o that it is free at the ~ck-out counter. The signal may also be u~ed to ~ound bell~, flash lights, provide some audio me~sage or cause a di~play on the video ~creen 14 of the game machine lO

WO93/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19 to A~ O~ that the patron playing has won a prize and any other information de~ired to be dis~eminated.
The prize~ awarded upon the formation of a wi ~ni ng combination may be totally unrelated to the products and/or services displayed on the game machine and may include, for example, monetary awards, store credits, CO!~-O..-- redeemable for any product or service offered by a manufa~Lu~e~ or other business entity promoting p~d~cts or cervices on the game machine, ~-o.~Y~- redeemable for a particular product or service offered by a manufa~Lu e~ or other business entity not proooting it~ ~.G~cts or ~ervice~ on the game machine, etc. Preferably, the awarded prizes are products and/or service~ which are related to the products or services lS in the wi nn i ng combination. As u~ed herein, a prize "related to" a ~Gd~ct or ~ervice A includes (l) one or more of the ~Gduct or ervice A it~elf; (2) a Ai~o~
on one or more of the product or ~erv- ce A; (3) one or more of a ~LV~UCt or ~ervice which is typically used in combination or connection with the product or service A;
and (4) a Ai-co-~nt on on~ or more of a product or ~ervice which i~ typically u~ed in combination or connection with ~uct or ~ervice A. Most preferably, the prize~ are tho~e which are typically available in the e~tabli_hment in which the game machine has been in~talled. In the case where the game machine has been in~talled in a mall, the prizes are preferably available from one of the stores in the mall.
As noted at the out~et, the ~ ? of the promotional game method and apparatus of the ~~-e~t invention i~ to promote the products and/or services of one or more busin~r~. To that end, it i8 contemplated that the adverti~ing affect of game machine lO may be increa~ed by di~playing images ,e~. E -enting products, ~ervice~ and/or bu~ine~s ~ymbols on game mac~ine lO in addition to tho~e images which are di~played in align~ent with refeL~ e loc~tion lS when wh~el~ 16, 18 and 20 have stopped moving. Thus, for example, video WO93/14K2 PCT/US92~1~19 ~A~21 1 7:3~:5~ screen 14 may simultaneously display three images on each of wh~lc 16, 18 and 20 both as the wheels are moving and when they have come to rest. Al~ot~gh only one image on each of the wheels will be in alignment ~ 5 with ref e~ e~e location lS and, h~nce, only those images will determine the existence of a wi~nin~ combination, the di~play of the additional images will increase the promotional affect of game machine lO because the patron's attention will be foc~ A on the product representation~, service ~e~ entation~ and/or business symbols displayed in these additional images. The promotional affect can be increased still further by having the images which may be displayed on video screen 14 outside of ref eL c~ -e location lS remain fixed lS while whD~l~ 16, 18 and 20 are being randomly moved with respect to one another. That is, only the images in refeLe.,_~ location lS would appear to move with respect to one another during play of the--game, while the remaining image~ displayed on video 6creen 14 would re~ain in place. Naturally, the increased promotional affect of this latter embodiment would result from the patron's attention being fo~-~A on the still images during the entire random placement ~tep.
Between operation~ of the random selection device, the video screen 14 of game machine lO may also be u~ed to display a series of mes~ages promoting the .v~_Ls or services involved in the game, other infor~ation regarding the products or services, establi~hment me~sages, i~At~cements to play the game and li~ts of the prize~ awarded, and any other information to be called to the patrons' attention. Such me~sages may encompa~s a portion or the entirety of video ~cr-en 14, and may com~ence automatically a ~ ected length of time after operation of the random selection device ha~ terminated and the wheels have come to rest.
In a par~ l Arly preferred arrange~ent which ~h-nce~
the adver~i~i~g effect, a banner bearing an advertising message may be ~crolled acro~s the top portion of video WO93/1~K2 PCT/US92/l~l9 S'A 21 1:7:3:5~ 8creen 14 without Qh~ ing the combination of images aligned in reference location 15. The banner will appear a preselected period of time after play has terminated, which period of time may be increased or s decreased as desired. A particularly beneficial advertising effect can be obtAin-~ by having the advertising han~r appear promptly after the wheels have stopped moving so that the playing patron will see the banner and its advertisement while examining the images on video screen 14 to determine whether he is a winner.
In an egually preferred arrangement, at a pr-determined time after the w~ s have storpe~ moving, the p~Gd~ct or service ~e~L~~~nted on one of the wheels will automatically grow in size to encompass all or substantially all of the video screen 14. For example, five ~eConAC after the wheels have stopp~ moving (which should provide the patrons with ~ufficient time to note whether the combination of images for~ed on the screen is a winner) the image on the first wheel may gr~Al~Ally grow in size until it consume~ a majority of video screen 14, obliterating the images of the other ~Gd~ct~, servicefi or syibols displayed on the screen.
When the image r~ac~-~ its maximum size, an audible and/or visual me~sage may be generated to promote the ~L~Uct or service appearing on the screen. Once this m -~~ge has been completed and the enlarged image has been displayed for a ~L~ ected length of time, the video screen may L~ L to displaying the combination of images which resulted from the last play, or may display other advertisements or message~.
In yet another highly preferred embodiment, a moving video may be di~played on video screen 14 between play~ of the game. These moving videos may be one or - more advertisements, preferably for products or services who~e reprQsentationC appear during play of the game, or ray be a d~monstration on how the game is played, and ~ay encomp~s the entirety of vidco screen 14 or any fraction thereof. The data for generating these moving WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/1~19 ~A 2 ~ 1 7 3~videos, which are much like the moving images typically viewed on a television, may be Le_G~ed on a storage disk in a known fashion for a C ~ by the operating ~L~yL~m of ga~e machine 10. As a result, the series of moving videos in game machine 10 can be replaced with a new series of such videos merely by removing one storage disk from the game machine and inserting a new disk in its place.
In order to keep game machine 10 simple to operate by patrons and simple to maintain by generally available store per~onnel, game machine 10 is not provided with a keyboard. Since no keyboard is available for il-DLLu~Ling game machine 10 to perform certain operations, all such instructions are supplied by inserting maint-~a~ce cards (not shown) into slot 22.
In all outward appearances, the maintenance cards are the same as game cardg 32 and 38, except that the coded information Arr~a-ing in bar code- cections 34 or m_gnetic stripes 40 are not game card codes, but rather are instruction codes L~3~ hle by the game machine.
Thus, one maintenance card may contain a code for instructing g~me machine 10 to agsemble various statistical data which may be obtained. Statistical infor~ation regarding the patrons playing the game machine, their frequency of play, prizes won, etc., may be summarized in various tables to indicate, for example: (1) the total number of plays during the cribed period, i.e., J~ four hours, one week, etc.; t2) the number of plays hour-by-hour; (3) prizes won and the profile of the person~ who won; (4) the number of prizes won and the total value of the prizes awarded, etc. The code on the maintenA~e card may further ingtruct g~e machine 10 to print this gtatigtical data either on the printer within the game ~achine or at a remote location.
Another maint~n-ncQ card may include a code for in~t~ucting the game machine to accept replays on some or all of the g~me cards, such ag by reducing by W093/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19 ~ ~ 7 3 5~ one the num~er of times each of the game card codes have been stored in the temporary memory of the game machine.
The code on yet another maint~nAnce card may instruct the game machine to update and/or change the 5 ~L GYL ~m in the game machine. Thus, as a storage disk cont~i ni ng new game parameters is placed in the game machine lO, the information thereon will not be uploaded into the operating memory of the ga~e machine until the maint~nance card bearing the proper instruction code has been inserted into the card reader via slot 22. The ~G~er m~int~n~n~e card will instruct the game machine to replace the game par~meter~ in its operating memory with the game parameters on the newly inserted disk.
Additional maintenanc~ card~ may be provided for 15 instructing the game machine to perform other tasks, such as downloaAin~ or uploaAing card and play information to a remote computer. In le~s preferred emho~iments, all of the~e instruction~ may-be-provided to game machine lO through the u~e of input device 26 or ~ome other keyboard temporarily connected to the game machine.
Ga~es of thi~ nature may be employed u~efully at the point of sale in retail establishments such as supermarkets, fast food restaurants, auto parts stores, home center~, toy stores and the like. The ability to charge back to a ~pon~or, such a~ a manufa~u.e~ or distributor, the availability of .eo~ded information regarding the total number of prizes won and the total value of prizes awarded as set forth above, the ~h~ence of any need for ~pecial goods packaging or specially distributed game cards, and the elimination of the need to di~tribute a plethora of co~t~on- which will never be redeemed, all coupled with the ability to easily and quickly ch~nge promotion~ at will, provides a uniquely eff-ctive promotional tool.
A~ will be readily appreciated, law~ bearing on gambling and the lotteries limit certain types of promotion~ involving an element of rh-nce, particularly W0~3il4K2 PCT/US92/l~lg ~A~l J 7:35~ where the purchase of goods or services is required as a ~,e -~o,.dition for entry into the game. Games according to the pre~ent invention can be, and are intenA~ to be, operated in conformity with applicable laws. Such laws ordinarily require that the patron or prospective patron be allowed to enter any game of rhAnce without purchasing anything or paying money to acquire an entry.
Ordinarily, such laws are ~atisfied if the patron has the v~o L~.ity to acquire a game card without a purchase.
Although the invention herein has been de~cribed with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be Ul.d~ ~ Lood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the ~ nt invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustr~tive emhoAi~ents and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the-spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the ~Fpen cl~
Tn~--~tri a 1 1~'~ ah; 1 i ty The g~me methods and apparatus of the ~ E-ent invention provide means for promoting goods and ~ervices which are ~ore effective than previously-known ~hn i ques.

Claims (18)

1. A promotional gaming method for inducing potential customers to come to a particular establishment characterized by the steps of providing a game machine which is played for no consideration;
establishing at least two separate series of images on said game machine, at least one of said series including representations of products, services or a combination of products and services; upon play by a patron, randomly moving said at least two series with respect to one another so that an image in one of said series will be aligned at a reference point with an image in another one of said series to form one of various combinations, and wherein select ones of said various combinations are winning combinations; and awarding a prize to said patron if one of said winning combinations is formed upon play by said patron, said prize being selected from the group consisting-of said products or services whose representations form said one of said winning combinations, a product or service which is related to said products or services whose representations form said one of said winning combinations, and a retail product or service which is available from said establishment.

2. A method according to claim 1 further characterized by the steps of distributing game cards to patrons, each one of said game cards being coded with a game card code to identify the game card and an establishment code to identify said establishment; and automatically reading said game cards when inserted into said game machine and initiating said random movement step responsive to said establishment code meeting predetermined criteria.

3. A method according to claim 1 further characterized by the steps of distributing game cards to patrons, each one of said game cards being coded with a game card code to identify the game card; and automatically reading said game cards when inserted into said game machine and initiating said random movement step responsive to the reading of said game cards.

4. A method according to claims 2 or 3 characterized in that said game card code is read by said game machine upon insertion of a game card into said game machine and is stored within said game machine for a selectable period of time.

5. A method according to claim 4 characterized in that said game card code of an inserted game card is compared with all previously stored game card codes and the initiation of said random movement step is prevented if said game card code of said inserted game card is found to have been stored a selected number of times by said game machine within said selectable period of time.

6. A method according to claim 5 characterized in that when initiation of said random movement step is prevented, a display is made of each time said inserted game card was used within said selectable period of time.

7. A method according to claim 1 characterized in that said establishing step includes the step of establishing said at least two separate series of images so that said representations of at least one of said products or services are present in two of said series, and said winning combinations include a match formed by aligning at said reference point a representation of a product or service in one of said two series with a representation of said product or service in another of said two series.

8. A method according to claim 1 characterized in that said establishing step includes the step of establishing said at least two separate series of images so that at least one of said series includes at least one wild card symbol consisting of a manufacturer symbol, and wherein at least one of said winning combinations includes said at least one wild card symbol.

9. A method according to claim 1 characterized in that said establishing step includes the step of establishing at least three separate series of images, at least one of said series including at least one wild card symbol consisting of a manufacturer symbol, said representations of at least one of said products or services being present in at least two of said series, said winning combinations including a match formed by aligning at said reference point a representation of a product or service in one of said series with a representation of said product or service in another of said series, and at least one of said winning combinations including said at least one wild card symbol.

10. A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said establishing step includes the step of displaying a visual representation of a peripheral surface of each of at least two individual wheels in said game machine, each of said wheels containing one of said series of images, and wherein said step of randomly moving said at least two series includes the step of causing said individual wheels to rotate independently in said visual representation with respect to one another and then stop so that said various combinations of said images on said at least two wheels can be read out at said reference point.

11. A promotional gaming method for inducing potential customers to come to a particular establishment characterized by the steps of providing a game machine which can be played for no consideration;
establishing at least two separate series of images on said game machine including partial representations of products, services or a combination of products and services; upon play by a patron, randomly moving said at last two series with respect to one another so that an image in one of said series will be aligned at a reference point with an image in another one of said series to form one of various combinations, and wherein select ones of said various combinations are winning combinations, select ones of said winning combinations including a match formed by aligning a partial representation of a product or service in each one of said at least two series to display a complete representation of said product or service; and awarding a prize to said patron if one of said winning combination is formed upon play by said patron, said prize being selected from the group consisting of said product or service whose partial representations form said complete representation, a product or service which is related to said product or service whose partial representations form said complete representations, and a retail product or service which is available from said establishment.

12. A method according to claim 11 characterized in that said establishing step includes the step of establishing said at least two separate series of images so that at least one of said series includes at least one wild card symbol, and wherein at least one of said winning combinations includes said at least one wild card symbol.

13. A promotional game apparatus for inducing potential customers to come to a particular establishment characterized by display means (14) for establishing a reference point (15) and at least two separate series (16, 18, 20) of images (17), at least one series including representations of products, services or a combination of products and services, said at least two series being independently movable with respect to one another and with respect to said reference point so that an image in one of said series can be aligned at said reference point with an image in another one of said series to form various combinations, select ones of said various combinations being winning combinations; movement means for moving said at least two series with respect to one another so as to form said various combinations randomly; activating means which requires no consideration for activating said movement means; means for signaling that one of said winning combinations has been formed; and means (24) for awarding a prize upon the formation of said one of said winning combinations, said prize being selected from the group consisting of said products or services whose representations form said one of said winning combinations, a product or service which is related to said products or services whose representations form said one of said winning combinations, and a retail product or service which is available from said establishment.

14. The promotional game apparatus according to claim 13 characterized in that at least one of said series (16, 18, 20) includes at least one wild card symbol (19) consisting of a manufacturer symbol, and wherein select ones of said winning combinations include said at least one wild card symbol.

15. A promotional game apparatus for inducing potential customers to come to a particular establishment characterized by display means (14) for establishing a reference point (15) and at least two separate series (16, 18, 20) of images (17), at least one series including representations of products, services or a combination of products and services, said at least two series being independently movable with respect to one another and with respect to said reference point so that an image in one of said series can be aligned at said reference point with an image in another one of said series to form various combinations, select ones of said various combinations being winning combinations; movement means coupled to said display means for moving said at least two series independently with respect to one another so as to form said various combinations randomly; activating means which require no consideration for activating said movement means;
reading means connected to said movement means for reading a code on a game card (32, 38) and for signaling said movement means to move said at least two series in response to said code; detection means for determining when one of said winning combinations has been formed at said reference point; and means (24) responsive to said detection means for indicating the award of a prize upon the formation of said one of said winning combinations, said prize being selected from the group consisting of said products or services whose representations form said one of said winning combinations, a product or service which is related to said products or services whose representations form said one of said winning combinations, and a retail product or service which is available from said establishment.

16. The promotional game apparatus according to claim 15 characterized in that said code includes a first portion comprising a game card code for identifying said game card and a second portion comprising an establishment code for identifying the establishment at which said game card may be used, and said reading means reads said first and second portions of said code and signals said movement means to move said at least two series randomly in response to predetermined establishment codes.

17. A promotional game apparatus characterized by play means for playing a game, said play means including display means (14) for establishing a reference point (15) and at least two separate series of images (16, 18, 20), at least one series including representations of products, services or a combination of products and services, said at least two series being independently movable with respect to one another and with respect to said reference point so that an image in one of said series can be aligned at said reference point with an image in another one of said series to form various combinations, select ones of said various combinations being winning combinations, and movement means for moving said at least two series with respect to one another so as to form said various combinations randomly; operating means for performing non-game maintenance functions in the game apparatus; a first group of operating cards (32, 38) coded with a game code; a second group of operating cards (32, 38) each coded with a different maintenance code, each one of said maintenance codes identifying a distinct maintenance function; and reading means for reading said game codes and said maintenance codes and for signaling said play means to move said at least two series upon reading said game code on one of said first group of operating cards and for signaling said operating means to perform one of said maintenance functions which alters a feature of said game upon reading said maintenance code on a selected one of said second group of operating cards.

18. A promotional game apparatus according to claim 17 further characterized by internal storage means; receiving means for receiving externally stored data; and transfer means for transferring said externally stored data from said receiving means to said internal storage means, wherein one of said maintenance codes signals said operating means to actuate said transfer means.