ES1273835U - ELECTRONIC BINGO MACHINE WITH SPECIAL BALL DRAW (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Electronic bingo machine with independent bonus game for special and accumulated prizes, of the type of video bingo machines that have a housing (2) and display screens (3 and 4), which can be touch screens, keyboards, buttons and/or other user-operable controls; CPU (8) with computing means, memories and storage disks (11) for data and programs, random number generator (9), and interfaces (10) between the different elements of said machine (1) and with the user, characterized in that the activation condition of said bonus game is carried out when a certain number of elements or special balls (19) are extracted in the draw for the bingo balls (18), said elements or special balls (19) forming part of the draw for the set of removable bingo balls. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

ELECTRONIC BINGO MACHINE WITH SPECIAL BALL DRAW

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Electronic bingo game machine that incorporates a number of balls that are special, for example, that are without number, included in the drum at the time of the draw and extraction of balls characteristic of the bingo game, said balls affecting a game own managed by a specific controller card.

BACKGROUND

The game of bingo has been known since ancient times and has been played with greater or lesser intensity since those remote origins. At present it is played on a plurality of platforms and modalities, from its manual version with extraction of the balls from a rotating drum and announcement of extractions, the players marking their cards with their hits and claiming the prizes to be obtained, to versions of the game in electronic machines in which the cards are shown on a screen and the balls are drawn quickly and automatically, crossing out the winning numbers and reporting, according to each version of the game, the prizes obtained and those that can still be drawn, with balls bonuses, wild balls, special prizes, accumulated prizes, etc.

The update to modern times of the bingo game has represented the introduction of many improvements or modifications of the same in order to capture the interest of the player and offer a policy of awarding prizes more adapted to the demands of casinos or game rooms that want to have the machines always running, to keep its customers happy and satisfied with the leisure time spent on them and to offer prize expectations that are adapted to the player profiles of each country and area.

The accumulated prizes, the amount of which is increased with a fraction of the bets made in each bingo game and the prizes of the same that have not been delivered, when it is the case, are one of the most resounding successes in the gaming industry each to motivate the users of their machines. And is that, sometimes, overcome the technical problems of linking several machines in one In the room or in an extensive network such as the Internet, important, eye-catching accumulations are obtained, which attract the players despite having a difficult expectation to obtain. And that difficult expectation to obtain makes it difficult to distribute or deliver and allows the prize to increase even more from session to game session.

The present invention, for its part, attacks another front to make bingo game machines attractive, in the sense of improving the prize grid that can be offered to a user of the machine and consequently achieving greater profitability from it. Gaming machine for the casino or gambling hall that, finally, is the one who must acquire it.

This is because many regular users of bingo machines, even maintaining the expectation of receiving a large jackpot, are aware that probably, due to its extremely difficult probability, they will not receive any of these prizes, deciding, when choosing one, by gaming machines that are entertaining and maintain a more affordable probability of obtaining prizes, even if they are of less than the large accumulated amounts. That is to say, you like to have access to the great accumulated, but you also want to have an effective entertainment with more affordable possibilities of prize.

It is therefore one of the main objectives of the present invention to incorporate a novel means that allows a correction of the plurality of prizes offered by the gaming machine, improving the distribution of prizes with a higher probability and offering new prizes in that section of affordable probability.

It is another of the objectives of the present invention that the introduction of the new prizes and games does not alter the reward for the game credit purchased in the usual bingo game, which generally remains unchanged.

Similarly, another of the objectives of the present invention is that the process requirements of the new awards are satisfied mainly with the help of new devices, allowing an easy implementation of the present invention and even an improvement of the fleet of existing and obsolete machines. in relation to the present invention.

Another of the main objectives of the present invention is to provide an activation condition for a second game in the machine or bonus game, which can be independent of the main one of the machine, which is simple and easily observable for the player; said activation condition being drawn simultaneously, in the same draw for the extraction of the balls of the bingo game.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention develops an electronic bingo game machine that incorporates an additional number of special balls These balls are included in the draw drum, in the matrix of removable elements, so that the random bingo mechanics extract them together with the balls. known numbered numbers from the game of bingo.

This machine has a casing that houses all its elements, including a CPU, a GNA (Random Number Generator), computing and processing means, memories and other storage media, user interfaces such as screens, preferably touch screens, multimedia media. for the presentation of the game and prizes, etc. These elements make it possible to develop a bingo game in any of its variants, including special prizes, accumulated prizes, etc., all within the known technique.

Additionally, there is a controller unit that, in turn, has a microcontroller, GNA, computing and storage means, as well as an interface to the main machine's CPU and an additional screen, said controller unit in charge of managing the games derived from said balls without numbers, such as a bonus game to access a variety of accumulated prizes.

It is about modifying the known bingo game by introducing a new element of chance within the usual extraction of balls, thus managing the activation of a second game within the main one, facilitating the implementation of this new game and incorporating the means and devices to carry it out. Obviously, the existence of a number of special balls and that when they are without a number, they do not affect the bingo draw, they alter the probability of the prizes of the conventional bingo game.

The invention contemplates the appropriate modifications, adjustments, of the relation cost of the game credit with respect to the probability of the prize so that it remains in a ratio similar to the one previously existing without the incorporation of the special balls. This is also the case for the price of the extra balls and / or other known aspects of the bingo game.

On the other hand, according to each embodiment, the special balls allow different implementations of different types of prizes and games that will be described later.

In general, it can be affirmed that the novel introduction of the special balls in the set of balls to be extracted in bingo, said balls being part of a different game or games with independent prizes and different from those existing in the bingo game, allows graduating a very versatile prize policy adjusted to the different demands of the users' estimated gaming preferences.

In this way, the anticipated requirements of the invention are satisfied by manufacturing an electronic gaming machine with adaptable prizes, maintaining all the incentives of the modern electronic bingo game, also allowing the adaptability of the previously existing park of machines and facilitating the implementation of new games. whose operation is encapsulated and differentiated from the operation of the main game of the machine.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, the present specification is accompanied by four sheets of drawings, provided solely by way of illustration and not limitative of the invention.

Figure 1 is a representation in front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing an electronic gaming machine that has a housing that includes two screens, boxes for inserting cards or other means of relating to the user, including a top screen and a control module for the unnumbered ball or black ball prizes.

Figure 2 schematically represents the basic elements that make up the electronic machine of figure 1, showing in its upper part and also schematically, the control unit for the prizes associated with the balls without number or special balls.

Figure 3 is a simplified representation of a screen, within the state of the art of bingo game, in the random mechanics of bingo, which extracts the balls and showing several balls drawn of the ball type without number or special balls, according to to the features of the present invention.

Figures 4 and 5 represent different examples of implementation of prize games resulting from balls without number, controlled by the electronic control card for said prizes.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention consists of an electronic bingo game machine that incorporates a number of special balls (19) in the matrix of removable elements of the bingo game, the numbered balls being the usual ones of the bingo game. These special balls (19), in the main embodiment, are additional balls to the usual ones existing in the bingo raffle drum.

The electronic bingo game machine (1) is composed of a cabinet (2) that includes screens (3 and 4), in which the ornamentation and representations of the main game used in said machine (1) are shown. Said machine has a set of controls, normally buttons, for the interaction of the player with the machine, as well as other interfaces with the user, such as boxes (5) for introducing cards, money, tickets, etc.

In this part, it is a question of the description of any electronic bingo machine of the known art. The lower part of figure 2 briefly describes various elements that make up said type of machines. They have a CPU (8), GNA or Random Number Generator (9), computing and processing capacity, storing code or programs and data through memories and storage media (11), and interfaces (10) both with the player and between the different modules and components of the machine (1). Spanish patent P 200502353 is an example, among other possible ones, of an embodiment of this type.

This example has the classic line and bingo prizes, but also other figure patterns or prize combinations, in addition to accumulated prizes. Figure 3 shows a screen of a known game of this type of machine. Geometric award patterns are shown at the top left (17). The cards (16) staked, four in this example, are shown empty, without numbers because the descriptions of the details of the traditional game of bingo are beyond the scope of this description. The figure does not show the upper central space for extra balls, nor the upper right one normally used for the JackPot, nor the identifiers of the cards, nor the information and orders buttons, normally located at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 3 does show the extracted balls, some of them, the numbered balls (18) that are shown in white, and the special balls (19) that in this embodiment are balls without numbers that are shown in shaded surfaces. The lower central part of the screen displays a button or push-button (20) to manually fire the bonus game derived from the unnumbered balls (19).

When the player acquires the cards (16) with which he participates in the game, they are given to him, or these cards are made visible on the screen. These are an ordered grid of unequal numbers within a set, for example, in the Bingo 60 version, of 60 balls to be drawn with 3x5 cards that represent the player's bets. Obviously, the present invention is capable of being used in other modalities, for example, 5x5, 4x3, 3x4, 5x3 cardstock, etc. In In the example or modality used in the present description, a set of 60 numbered balls is used to which 6 unnumbered balls are added, special balls (19). The cards (16) are in this example 5x3. The main game of bingo draws 30 balls that can be numbered (18) or not numbered (19). The conventional dynamics of the bingo game cross out the existing numbers on the cards and carry out the valuation of prizes, purchase and / or delivery of extra balls and any other characteristics of the bingo game within the technique. The lower part of Figure 3 shows the removal of the 30 balls, with 24 numbered (18) and 6 being unnumbered balls (19). The invention is susceptible, as has been said, to be used with 4x3, 5x3, 3x5, 3x4, or any other size, with appropriate adaptations.

Logically, the probability that a specific number will come out in 30 draws from a bag with 60 numbers is lower, when 6 more balls that have no number are added to the drum. The invention contemplates modifications in the cost relationship between game credit and prize so that it remains the same or very similar to the value of said relationship before the introduction of said unnumbered balls into the draw drum. All prizes and prices, such as that of the extra ball, are altered in order to compensate for the introduction of these balls without an additional number (19).

The present invention provides a bonus game whose activation condition is drawn, in a visible and simple way, simultaneously with the draw and extraction of the bingo balls (18), in the form of special balls (19) that have been added to the possible set of removable balls in the draw. It is a new way of performing the activation condition that allows easy parameterization and graduation of the probabilities of this event occurring. This event probability for the bonus game can be further refined or refined by adding any random elements present in the game.

One of the advantages or results obtained with this provision is that the player sees with the naked eye if he meets the condition or how much he still needs to fulfill it, for example to settle for a bonus game of lower rank, for having fewer special balls (19) than the maximums, or buy extra balls in the hope to complete the number of special balls (19) that entitle the bonus game to their maximum value. In the example described, as shown in figure 3, 6 special balls (19) are required to access the bonus game.

The bonus game is managed by its own electronic card, represented in figure 2 at the top. This controller unit (6) has a CPU (12) with computing and processing means, a GNA or random number generator (13), having working memory and storage means (14) for data and programs, as well and interfaces (15) that allow said control unit (6) to communicate with the CPU (8) of the gaming machine (1). It has an additional screen (7) normally linked to the information on the prizes derived from the bonus game.

The control unit (6) allows, by means of interaction with the CPU (8), to access the main (3) and secondary (4) screens to display information on them, as well as to collect the information from the unnumbered balls (19) that they have been taken from the main bingo game that takes place on the machine (1).

Different realizations of a bonus game resulting from the number of special balls (19) that have been drawn in the bingo ball draw are possible, as shown in figure 3. For example, in this case of realization 6 are needed special balls (19) to access the bonus game.

Figure 4 shows one of the possible examples of realization of this bonus game. The content of this figure 4 is displayed, for example, on the secondary screen (4), where in the upper part the amounts won are accumulated and that correspond to the prizes obtained. The special balls (19) are shown in this graph with a suitable figure on a grid and the game automatically or manually, depending on each case of example or at the user's choice, uncovers the prizes that each special ball (19) represents, exposed by their representations (21) and these and their eventual combinations, the coincidence of several figures, multipliers, etc., are added to the counter (22). In figure 4 a conveyor jet (23) is shown which indicates the sum to the total winnings of each individual prize.

For its part, in the example in figure 5, the bonus game is built around a "Large Cardboard", due to its size on the screen, which in the example we are describing is 3x5, coinciding as the one used in the game bingo main on the machine (1). Here according to this example, the special balls (19) are randomly distributed on the grid (24). It can be allowed, if so desired, for the user to press another random generation of the arrangement of said balls to have another arrangement more to your liking. Here the special balls (19) are discovered either by clicking on each of them, as in the previous example, or simultaneously to show the symbols they contain, usually prizes, but also figures which are representations of jackpots, wild cards, etc.

At this initial stage and as a result of chance or the previously established parameters of this bonus game in its control unit (6), a certain number of spins are obtained, for example and by default 3. Each of these spins fills a cell (25) of the grid (24) with a prize and / or symbol.

This is about the extraction of a set of award-winning symbols and others that are not part of the set of extractable elements of this game of chance.

When a prize is obtained, it is usual not to decrease the counter of possible spins or to restore it to the maximum level. The game ends when all the boxes (25) have been filled or the spins are exhausted. At this point, proceed in a similar way to the previous example, in a successive count, to count all the prizes won and write them down in the accumulator (22).

A plurality of animations can be constructed that precede the display of the figure that appears in each box (25). In fact, the "Large Cardboard" (24) can be treated as a roller machine and displayed in each cell (25) to avoid the rapid rotation of all the possible figures to be extracted. Also, it can be used as in the game of bingo and animate an appearance of the figures by blinking, falling, etc. This is irrelevant for the present invention and all the mentioned examples or other possible ones can be considered included in the same.

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Naturally, a plurality of other exemplary embodiments of the bonus game are possible, without representing a substantial variation in the content of the present invention. A number other than six of special balls (19) can be used to trigger the bonus game, the special balls (19) can be simply balls without a number, or they can be numbered balls, but marked in a special way, etc.

Although the description as a whole refers to special balls, the invention contemplates a broader meaning of the term "ball", all within the object and scope of the present invention. In fact, the invention also uses the name special element ( 19), in order to allow the use of any representation of said special balls (19) or special elements (19) that in this way do not have to be spherical bodies, nor be balls themselves, and can be and be shown with any representation graph or figure.

Other variations within the invention, of details or descriptions made of the games are also possible without modifying the essence of the invention.

One of the advantages obtained with the present invention is to allow an easier implementation of the probability of accessing the bonus game. Currently, the activation condition to access a secondary or bonus game, access to special accumulators or other possible prizes, must be implemented within the result of the cards obtained. If a given probability of a prize matches one of the geometric combinations (17) in Figure 3, the problem is solved. In another case, any combination of extracted balls (18) whose arrangement on the cardboard, their geometric arrangement, involves the desired probability can be searched, combining the coincidence of extracted balls with a specific geometric figure that implies 3 or more balls.

The result is poor in relation to the presentation of the game because on the screen, in addition to indicating on the cards (16) the geometric combinations (17) of the prize within reach, the possible combinations must also be marked to access the secondary game of bonus. This ends up resulting in a set of stripes, colors and markings that can confuse the player. The present invention allows a simultaneous draw for the activation condition of a bonus game to access special graduated and accumulated prizes, in which said condition is easily observable and simple to understand, immediately, with the draw of a limited number of special balls (19) that have been inserted into the draw drum together with the balls (18) of the bingo modality used.

This construction also allows scalability of the effort to implement a bonus game in the electronic bingo game machines (1), since said games and prizes are managed by an independent control unit (6) that incorporates its own means of control. process and that communicates with the screens (3, 4 and 7) and with the CPU (8) of said machine (1) to have the necessary information, such as that of the extracted balls (18 and 19).

The construction of the invention also allows, as another of the advantages obtained from it, to implement the control unit (6) in an obsolete bingo machine, in terms of the present invention, to modernize it with economy of resources to use.

In other possible cases of realization, for example, in electronic bingo machines with CPU (8) of several cores and / or sufficient graphic and processing power, said machine (1) can assume the complete role of the control unit (6 ), assuming its functions. The multiprocess capabilities of modern processors allow this assumption to be made, emulating the control unit (6), without altering the essence of the invention.

In another example of possible embodiment of the present invention, the electronic bingo machine or video bingo machine (1), because it uses a plurality of video animations within the game sequences, does not use special balls (19) without number or with another distinctive feature, as a trigger for the bonus game. They are the same numbered bingo balls (18) that being a subset of them marked or indicated as special, by their own color, border, etc., said subset of balls Visibly marked are the special balls (19). This construction presents the difficulty of giving an adequate marking to these special balls (19) so that the player appreciates that they are the ones that trigger the bonus game, but it has the unquestionable advantage that they do not alter the odds of the main bingo game. of the machine (1), nor of the price of the extra balls or other characteristics of the game, its implementation being even simpler on a previously existing bingo machine.

It is understood that in the present case, how many details of finish and shape do not modify or alter the essence of the invention can be variable.

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Claims (8)

1. - ELECTRONIC BINGO MACHINE WITH INDEPENDENT GAME OF BONUSES FOR SPECIAL AND ACCUMULATED PRIZES, of the type of video bingo machines that have a housing (2) and display screens (3 and 4), which can be tactile, keyboards , buttons and / or other user-operable controls; CPU (8) with computing means, memories and storage disks (11) for data and programs, random number generator (9), and interfaces (10) between the different elements of said machine (1) and with the user, CHARACTERIZED because the activation condition of said bonus game is carried out when the extraction of a certain number of elements or special balls (19) occurs in the draw for the bingo balls (18), said elements or special balls (19) forming part of the draw for the set of removable bingo balls. 2. - VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED because said special elements (19) do not have a ball shape and are shown as a graphic representation or figure. 3. - VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to any one of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said special balls (19) are balls that contain some marking or signal clearly visible by the player, when they are drawn in the draw, which differ from the conventional numbered balls of bingo game. 4. - VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to any one of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said special balls (19) are additional balls to the set of balls (18) that make up the main bingo game of the machine. 5. - VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to the previous claim, CHARACTERIZED because said special balls (19) do not contain any number drawn in the game of Bingo. 6.- VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to any one of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said determined number of special balls (19) to allow the bonus game is 6. 7.- VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said bonus game is managed by a controller unit (6) that has a CPU (12), processing and computing means, a random number generator (13 ), memories and storage means (14) of data and programs, and interfaces (15) to its different elements, to said CPU (8) of the gaming machine (1), collecting information from the extracted balls (18 and 19) , accessing said screens (3 and 4) and having its own screen (7) for presenting information related to the prizes derived from said bonus game. 8.- VIDEO BINGO MACHINE, according to the previous claim, CHARACTERIZED because when said CPU (8) has several cores and / or sufficient graphic and processing power, said machine (1) can assume the complete role of the control unit (6), assuming all its functions. 1