EP0221072B1 - An apparatus for vending individually marked articles - Google Patents

An apparatus for vending individually marked articles Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0221072B1
EP0221072B1 EP19850903839 EP85903839A EP0221072B1 EP 0221072 B1 EP0221072 B1 EP 0221072B1 EP 19850903839 EP19850903839 EP 19850903839 EP 85903839 A EP85903839 A EP 85903839A EP 0221072 B1 EP0221072 B1 EP 0221072B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
articles
display device
information
lottery
prize
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP19850903839
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0221072A1 (en
Inventor
Bengt Antas
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SELLMATIC Oy
Original Assignee
SELLMATIC Oy
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by SELLMATIC Oy filed Critical SELLMATIC Oy
Priority to AT85903839T priority Critical patent/ATE57270T1/en
Publication of EP0221072A1 publication Critical patent/EP0221072A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0221072B1 publication Critical patent/EP0221072B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/42—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for ticket printing or like apparatus, e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • G07C15/00—Generating random numbers; Lottery apparatus
    • G07C15/005—Generating random numbers; Lottery apparatus with dispensing of lottery tickets

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an apparatus for vending individually marked articles for lottery games, such as lottery tickets, said apparatus comprising a magazine of articles, a device for feeding the articles out from the apparatus and a coin slot for actuating said feeding device.
  • Vending machines for lottery tickets having the construction described above are previously known.
  • a disadvantage of these automats is that they do not attract buyers to such an extent as living sellers of lottery tickets and they have therefore not attained any greater distribution. This can partly be due to the fact that a lottery ticket, which usually contains a number only, does not give any clear information on the possible prize, but this information must be obtained elsewhere.
  • the US-A-4,157,829 discloses a lottery system using vending machines which are connected by a communication line to a central computer facility. Each vending machine accepts a wager of at least one of a number of denominations. A player first inserts his selection using a dial control on the vending machine, which selection can consist of a number, symbol or other indicia or a series of such indicia. The player either inserts the required wager amount directly into the vending machine or tenders this amount to an agent, who resets the machine for each play. Insertion of the money, or of a token, causes a message including the vending machine number and the player's selection to be sent to a central computer to initiate a selection of a random indicia sequence.
  • the computer generates a return message which includes a sequential number and the then selected random indicia sequence and also determines if a match has occured between the player's selection and the random indicia for that play. If such match has occured, the computer determines the amount won based on the number of matches.
  • the message is accepted by the vending machine to sequentially display the random indicia and the amount won, if a proper match exists. For small winning payouts, the coins or tokens are immediately returned to the player and for larger payouts a ticket is printed by the device which shows the player's selection, the random indicia, the serial number, the amount wagered and the amount won.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for vending lottery tickets, which attracts buyers to a considerably greater degree than previously known automats.
  • the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the apparatus comprises a means for reading the individual information on the article standing next to be fed out, a display device which visually indicates the content of the information, that is a lottery prize, and a device with a memory, said device controlling the display device.
  • the apparatus is provided with a display device which visually indicates the possible prize, e.g. by means of a simple code, the buyer immediately sees the amount of the prize in a simple and pleasant way, which should increase the willingness to buy.
  • the display device can consist of lamps which can be lit up in different combinations or of rotatably mounted wheels which are positioned side by side and the peripheral surface of which is provided with symbols.
  • the apparatus consists of a housing containing a magazine of lottery tickets, each one of which is individually marked with a code which indicates the amount of the possible prize.
  • the housing also comprises a device for feeding lottery tickets out from the apparatus, and a coin slot for actuating said feeding device.
  • the apparatus is provided with a means which by means of a laser beam reads the individual information on the lottery ticket which is next to be fed out from the apparatus.
  • the information is transferred from the reading means to a microprocessor, in the memory of which data is recorded with regard to the prize corresponding to the obtained information.
  • the microprocessor sends the information on the prize further to a display device which is located on the front side of the housing and which consists of a number of lamps, preferably of different colours, which provide a visually readable code.
  • This code is printed or painted on the front side of the housing, the prize being disclosed therewith, whereby the buyer can obtain information on the prize by comparing the printed codes with the code displayed on the display device.
  • the display device can alternatively consist of rotatably mounted wheels which are positioned side by side and the peripheral surface of which is provided with symbols, whereby a certain combination of symbols gives a certain prize, which is indicated on the front side of the housing.

Abstract

Apparatus for vending individually marked articles, such as lottery tickets. The apparatus comprises, a magazin of articles, a feeding device and a coin slot for actuating the feeding device. Known lottery ticket automats do not very well attract buyers, wherefore they have not attained any greater distribution. The buying of lottery tickets can be made more pleasant and more interesting, if the apparatus is provided with a means for reading the individual information of the tickets and with a display device which visually indicates the content of the information in such a manner that the buyer immediately sees what prize he has possibly obtained.

Description

  • The present invention relates to an apparatus for vending individually marked articles for lottery games, such as lottery tickets, said apparatus comprising a magazine of articles, a device for feeding the articles out from the apparatus and a coin slot for actuating said feeding device.
  • Vending machines for lottery tickets having the construction described above are previously known. A disadvantage of these automats is that they do not attract buyers to such an extent as living sellers of lottery tickets and they have therefore not attained any greater distribution. This can partly be due to the fact that a lottery ticket, which usually contains a number only, does not give any clear information on the possible prize, but this information must be obtained elsewhere.
  • The US-A-4,157,829 discloses a lottery system using vending machines which are connected by a communication line to a central computer facility. Each vending machine accepts a wager of at least one of a number of denominations. A player first inserts his selection using a dial control on the vending machine, which selection can consist of a number, symbol or other indicia or a series of such indicia. The player either inserts the required wager amount directly into the vending machine or tenders this amount to an agent, who resets the machine for each play. Insertion of the money, or of a token, causes a message including the vending machine number and the player's selection to be sent to a central computer to initiate a selection of a random indicia sequence. The computer generates a return message which includes a sequential number and the then selected random indicia sequence and also determines if a match has occured between the player's selection and the random indicia for that play. If such match has occured, the computer determines the amount won based on the number of matches. The message is accepted by the vending machine to sequentially display the random indicia and the amount won, if a proper match exists. For small winning payouts, the coins or tokens are immediately returned to the player and for larger payouts a ticket is printed by the device which shows the player's selection, the random indicia, the serial number, the amount wagered and the amount won. The player then presents the ticket to a claims center where a prize validation terminal is utilized to interrogate the central computer and validate the player's ticket and the amount of payment the player is to receive. There is no display device which visually indicates the possible prize, so that the buyer cannot see the amount of the prize in a simple and pleasant way. Therefore, also this prior known lottery system does not attract buyers to a considerably greater degree than the aforementioned known automats.
  • The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for vending lottery tickets, which attracts buyers to a considerably greater degree than previously known automats. The apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the apparatus comprises a means for reading the individual information on the article standing next to be fed out, a display device which visually indicates the content of the information, that is a lottery prize, and a device with a memory, said device controlling the display device. As the apparatus is provided with a display device which visually indicates the possible prize, e.g. by means of a simple code, the buyer immediately sees the amount of the prize in a simple and pleasant way, which should increase the willingness to buy.
  • The display device can consist of lamps which can be lit up in different combinations or of rotatably mounted wheels which are positioned side by side and the peripheral surface of which is provided with symbols.
  • According to a preferred embodiment, the apparatus according to the invention consists of a housing containing a magazine of lottery tickets, each one of which is individually marked with a code which indicates the amount of the possible prize. The housing also comprises a device for feeding lottery tickets out from the apparatus, and a coin slot for actuating said feeding device.
  • According to the invention, the apparatus is provided with a means which by means of a laser beam reads the individual information on the lottery ticket which is next to be fed out from the apparatus. The information is transferred from the reading means to a microprocessor, in the memory of which data is recorded with regard to the prize corresponding to the obtained information. The microprocessor sends the information on the prize further to a display device which is located on the front side of the housing and which consists of a number of lamps, preferably of different colours, which provide a visually readable code. This code is printed or painted on the front side of the housing, the prize being disclosed therewith, whereby the buyer can obtain information on the prize by comparing the printed codes with the code displayed on the display device. When the buyer has obtained the ticket, he can claim the prize against the ticket at a place for claiming the prizes.
  • The display device can alternatively consist of rotatably mounted wheels which are positioned side by side and the peripheral surface of which is provided with symbols, whereby a certain combination of symbols gives a certain prize, which is indicated on the front side of the housing.
  • In place of lottery tickets, which are usually made of paper, it is possible to vend different kinds of tickets or discs made of paper, plastic or metal by means of the apparatus according to the invention. The main point is that the articles are provided with an individually readable marking.

Claims (5)

1. Apparatus for vending individually marked articles for lottery games, such as lottery tickets, said apparatus comprising a magazine of articles, a device for feeding the articles out from the apparatus and a coin slot for actuating said feeding device, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a means for reading the individual information on the article standing next to be fed out, a display device which visually indicates the content of the information, that is a lottery prize, and a device with a memory, said device controlling the display device.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the reading means operates by means of a laser beam for reading the information on the articles.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display device in a manner known per se consists of lamps to be lit up in different combinations.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display device consists of rotatably mounted wheels known per se, which are positioned side by side and the peripheral surface of which is provided with symbols.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the controlling device is a microprocessor.
EP19850903839 1984-07-16 1985-07-11 An apparatus for vending individually marked articles Expired EP0221072B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT85903839T ATE57270T1 (en) 1984-07-16 1985-07-11 DEVICE FOR SELLING INDIVIDUALLY MARKED ITEMS.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FI842850 1984-07-16
FI842850A FI69718C (en) 1984-07-16 1984-07-16 APPARATUS FOER FOERSAELJNING AV INDIVIDUELLT MAERKTA FOEREMAOL

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0221072A1 EP0221072A1 (en) 1987-05-13
EP0221072B1 true EP0221072B1 (en) 1990-10-03

Family

ID=8519391

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19850903839 Expired EP0221072B1 (en) 1984-07-16 1985-07-11 An apparatus for vending individually marked articles

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0221072B1 (en)
AU (1) AU573026B2 (en)
CA (1) CA1246720A (en)
DE (1) DE3580040D1 (en)
FI (1) FI69718C (en)
WO (1) WO1986000737A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AUPN915396A0 (en) * 1996-04-04 1996-05-02 Lottery Products Pty Ltd Dispensing apparatus

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE337955B (en) * 1969-08-14 1971-08-23 Svenska Metallverken Ab
DE2359228A1 (en) * 1973-11-28 1975-10-23 Schickedanz Willi Automatic gambling machine for bingo game - has unequal numbers fixed deliberately and selected randomly
US4157829A (en) * 1975-01-28 1979-06-12 System Operations, Inc. Instant lottery game employing vending machines which are centrally controlled by computers
GB1558521A (en) * 1977-01-25 1980-01-03 Bell Fruit Mfg Co Ltd Amusement machines
GB2048539B (en) * 1979-03-03 1983-01-26 White M G Gaming or amusement machine
US4304467A (en) * 1979-05-29 1981-12-08 International Business Machines Corporation Focussed laser beam optical system
DE2931955C2 (en) * 1979-08-07 1982-02-25 Th. Bergmann & Co, 2084 Rellingen Electronic slot machine with payout
US4405984A (en) * 1981-02-02 1983-09-20 Stern Electronics, Inc. Coin-operated phonograph

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI69718B (en) 1985-11-29
AU4671485A (en) 1986-02-10
AU573026B2 (en) 1988-05-26
WO1986000737A1 (en) 1986-01-30
FI69718C (en) 1986-03-10
FI842850A0 (en) 1984-07-16
CA1246720A (en) 1988-12-13
DE3580040D1 (en) 1990-11-08
EP0221072A1 (en) 1987-05-13

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