FR2915014A1 - Lottery system for e.g. pressurized beer fountain, has push button actuated to execute part of computer program associated to microprocessor for triggering lottery, and seven segment displays to display lottery results - Google Patents

Abstract

The system has a unique, completely autonomous case (100) comprising cells or batteries for supplying power to the system. A microprocessor has a general purpose input/output assembly to control an interface. The microprocessor controls operations to be carried out for presenting signals over a bus to display animation information of a front face (101) via LEDs (102). Seven segment displays (104) are controlled via another interface, and displays lottery results. A push button is actuated to execute a part of a computer program associated to the microprocessor for triggering a lottery. An independent claim is also included for a method for operating a lottery system.

Description

- 1 -

  ABRÉGÉ Lottery system dedicated to the promotion or organization of events for, in a non-limiting example, the distribution of beverages.

  It consists of a box containing all the electronic and software functions intended to animate a "front face" directed towards the consumer, to control the triggering of an internal lottery displaying a three-digit random series and to manage the level. authorized winnings for the lottery.

  The set is completely independent and powered by batteries, or rechargeable batteries, offering a range of several days. In a non-limiting example of use, It comes in addition to beverage dispensing devices such as draft beer fountains or countertop opener which it can adapt by various means. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention presented here falls within the field of devices "gadgets" management and display lotteries and more particularly those comparable by their display in what is called "the machines to under". Adapted, as a non-limiting example, to the distribution of beverages, the consumer is not the one who plays or triggers the random game. The device is indeed intended more for brand promotion or evening entertainment by the bartender who chooses a probability of winning, manages and triggers the lottery during the preparation of drinks, as shown in Figure 1.

  STATE OF THE ART The combination "777" is known to bring fortune to those who are lucky. Many devices exist for this purpose, whether in the largest casinos in Las Vegas or in the case of simple gadgets. In all cases, it is advisable to ensure a perfect homogeneity in the draw probabilities of the winning combination. In the case of casinos, the probability of exit from a combination giving rise to payment of earnings is well known and strictly regulated.

  In the case of gadgets, no rule is applied.

  However, it is important to be able to determine a probability of earnings. The latter sets indeed the ratio cost (or number of r 2915014 - 2 attempts) for the player on gain (or exit of a winning combination). It is also important that each combination (winning or not) has an equi-probability of going out. Finally, it is important that the display of the combination is accompanied by a certain expectation and sequencing in order to give the player or the person expecting the result a certain level of excitement at play.

  Casino slot machines are a particularly notable and well-known, if not perfect, example of the state of the art in man-machine interface management, display management, and asset management. probability of winning, in the case of lotteries aimed at making money for the player and the establishment managing a fleet of such machines.

  These machines, however, are not transposable such as in the context of the promotion of a mark or an object if one wishes to separate the player function (or lottery trigger) from the customer function. possible receiver of the gain). In addition, their operation, size or power supply make them unsuitable in many places, if not for legal reasons. There are however many places, public or private, where it would be interesting to have a simple device performing the functions of lotteries mentioned above, and not seeking to distribute the winnings in the form of money.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

  The present invention addresses the unmet needs of mobility, transportability, power supply, and trigger / receiver separation expressed above while retaining all the attributes of predetermined gain random lotteries (selectable gain probability, equi-probability of combinations, sequencing display, etc.). It consists of a single and autonomous device, as shown in FIG. 1. In a nonlimiting embodiment, a housing (100) holds all the electronics, including the cells or batteries. to power the device. The electronics is essentially composed of a microprocessor with programming capabilities (built-in flash memory), and general-purpose input / output ports for controlling the front display (101) of a light emitting diode assembly (102) on the one hand and a group of 3 7 segment displays (104) on the other hand, the assembly animating the generic screen printing of the device (103), or that of a specific brand whose we want to promote. The operation of the device is therefore entirely software, with the exception of the triggering function of the lottery which in a non-limiting embodiment, is a simple push button whose actuation will run a specific part of the computer program associated with the microprocessor. Not shown here, the functions available in "rear face" of the device; namely and again in a nonlimiting example of embodiment: a hatch giving access to the batteries or the programming functions of the device: loading the computer program in flash memory and selecting a probability level of gain. • a light that reflects the state of the "front-20" display (normal or winning combination) • an on-off switch.

  In the above description of the device, certain technical elements have been omitted in order to facilitate the general apprehension of the apparatus described; it will further be understood that no particular technical element is necessary for the user for the implementation of said device presented here; the latter can be installed and used without the need for specific details of the core technologies referenced or used in its design. 30 FAST DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

  For a better understanding of the proposed invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following descriptions accompanied by the figures in which the various constituents are named and numbered, and in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a general view and a nonlimiting example embodiment of the device mentioned in the invention. FIG. 2 gives a functional block description of the electronics embedded in the device mentioned in the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of the operating mode of the device 5 and the aforementioned electronics mentioned in the invention.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

  We now detail the components of the device constituting the invention, and then give a general operating flow chart to follow step by step the actions required in a typical use of the invention. Figure 2 gives a functional block diagram of the electronics 15 driving the device. Naturally, there is the microprocessor {201), central element of the electronic part and controlling the set of operations to be performed in order to present on the bus {200} the signals necessary for the correct display of the animation information of the front face of the device via light emitting diodes (102, 205) via an interface (204) driven by a general purpose input / output assembly of the microprocessor. The bus (200) is also used when displaying the results of the lottery by, in a non-limiting example, by means of 3 7-segment displays (203) controlled on the other hand by an interface (202) via a group 25 general purpose I / O of the microprocessor. There is also the possibility of (re-) programming the microprocessor via a dedicated connector (206) providing access to the microprocessor-integrated flash memory for storing the computer program executed by the microprocessor. A general purpose I / O group (208) provides the ability to pre-select a device gain probability level; these inputs will be read by the program executed by the microprocessor when the device is initialized when the power is turned on. Finally, a general purpose input / output of the microprocessor is used as the triggering information input of the lottery device. The management of the tansitory states and the cancellation of rebound effects that could compromise the "fair" operation of the device is provided by the embedded software. - 5 - Not described here, additional elements and necessary for the operation of the microprocessor such as clock, power decoupling, reset circuit, etc. are also grouped around the microprocessor to ensure its smooth operation.

  By way of non-limiting example, the whole of the electronics can be grouped on a printed circuit comprising several power supply options (by batteries or external), several management options of the animation on the front face, and a greater or lesser number of 7-segment displays or a graphic display type LCD screen. In the realization of such a device, and as we will confirm in the description of the operating mode of the device, the choice of the microprocessor is particularly important because it determines, in addition to the cost of implementation and possible extensions of the device, the fairness the operation of the lottery.

  We now present in FIG. 3 the typical procedure (method) of the device constituting the invention, in the nonlimiting example of an assembly comprising a set of light-emitting diodes (205) for the animation on the front face and a set of 7-segment displays (203) for viewing the results of the lottery. When the device is powered up, the program begins with an initialization phase (300) putting all the internal variables in a known state. The next step is to read the gain probability level {301) via the general purpose inputs / outputs associated with this effect (208). In a nonlimiting example of implementation, 3 general purpose inputs / outputs of the microprocessor are used resulting in the choice of a level among 8 possibilities in a field of 0.1% to 10% probability of gain.

  The program then tests the state (302) of the trigger connected to a general purpose input / output (207); as long as the trigger remains in the initial state, the program will be responsible for animating the front face of the apparatus (101) by means of light-emitting diodes (102, 205) and following a mode described in tables provided for this purpose. effect (304). In a non-limiting example, these tables give the impression of several successive flashes and randomly distributed on the front face of the device, thus highlighting said device. The number of light-emitting diodes on the front face, their distribution and the management tables of their display provide as many possibilities widening the range of applications of the device mentioned in the invention. If the trigger changes state, the program, after making sure that the state had changed (elimination of parasites and other bounce effects), abandons the animation of the front of the device and starts or continues incrementing (or decrementing) a counter (303). In a non-limiting example of implementation, the counter has 3 digital displays and can therefore take any combination of numbers between "000" and "999". This phase is particularly critical because it is necessary to guarantee the equi-probability of each combination. This is made possible by the choice of a processor whose basic instructions all have an identical execution time; consequently, the designer can guarantee an equivalent delay for all the steps of the count-and by that the equi-probability of each combination of the count-until it is interrupted by the change, again, of the state of the trigger (305). The counter will not be reset. It will resume where it left off during a next trigger state change to continue to guarantee the equi-probability of each combination. It is important that the microprocessor is also of a correct level of performance; indeed it is desirable that all combinations be covered very quickly. In the nonlimiting example of suitability of the device for dispensing draft beer, the trigger is a so-called "mercury" or "ball" switch. Optimally integrated into the device, it detects the inclination. When said device is in a vertical position, the trigger is in a stable state. During a service, the device for example attached to the dispensing valve then has an angle relative to the vertical; the trigger then changes state and causes the incrementation of the counter the service time (of the order of 20 to 30 seconds); all the combinations being traversed in less than 3 milliseconds, it is impossible for the server to influence the state of the counter, guaranteeing the impartiality of the device. Once the trigger returns to its initial state and thus interrupting a phase of incrementation of the counter, it is necessary to continue towards the display of the result of the lottery. We chose to test the value "0" (306) of the last digital display of the meter, giving a natural probability of 10% (each combination goes through "0" once in 10). In the case where the counter does not stop on a "0", it should be made sure not to display the value "777" which is part of the possible combinations between "000" and "999", outside the case of a winning lottery (308). In a nonlimiting example of implementation, this is achieved by incrementing the counter by 1; this does not call into question the integrity of the device because it eliminates the very existence of the combination "777", apart from a winning lottery.

  In the case of a counter stopped on a "0", the winning state is validated with respect to the preselected probability level (307) when the device (301) is turned on. In a nonlimiting example of implementation, this is done by decrementing a counter reserved for this purpose and initialized to a non-zero value according to the reading of the GPIOs (301) until it passes to 0, and only in this case, the counter stopped on "0" is actually winner (309). A counter stopped at "0" and determined as a winner is accompanied by a particular sound, event, or display mode (310). In a non-limiting example of implementation, the result is displayed in flashing mode and a light-emitting diode provided for this purpose then flashes on the rear face of the device. The actual display of the result (winner or not) is done following a specific mode (311); In a nonlimiting example of implementation, the rotation of the digital displays is simulated by successively displaying the peripheral segments of each display, thus forming a spot light effect rotating on each display. After several "rotations", the display on the left stabilizes on the value of the respective number while the other displays are still rotating. After several rotations, the central display stabilizes on the value of the respective digit; two displays are stable while the rightmost display is still rotating. The latter stabilizes in turn, thus revealing the complete and final result of the lottery, either in fixed mode if the combination is losing, or in flashing mode in the case of a validated winning combination (309). This display will remain for a lapse of time (312), after which the device returns to the animation of the LEDs on the front panel (304) or resumes a count cycle according to the state of the trigger (302). Not described here in their implementation details are microprocessor-specific modules such as program protection, interrupt management, general purpose I / O, standby modes and states, priorities, errors and exceptions, etc. which are also present among the computer program of the device mentioned in the invention.

Claims (7)

  1) Lottery system dedicated to the promotion or the organization of events, characterized in that it consists of a single and completely autonomous element (100) requiring no manipulation on the part of the customer, no connection annex, and can be adapted to drinking fountains (for example: draft beers), to a dis-positive bottle opening by uncapping or uncorking, to the glass service by opening by pressure or rotation of a dosing valve, or in total autonomy by the use of an internal trigger accessory such as a motion sensor or external such as a push button.   2) Device according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus is entirely autonomous, both for its power supply and for its release 15 (total absence of external wires).   3) Device according to claims 1 to 2 wherein a single microprocessor (200) manages the entire operating phases of the device in embedded software: animation of the front panel (101, 205), calculation of the lottery combination ( 303-308), display of the result (104, 203), warning in case of a winning combination (310) and respect of the equi-probability of the combinations.   4) Process according to claim 3, wherein the equi-probability of combi-naisons is guaranteed by design thanks in particular to the use of instructions to execution time known and guaranteed by the manufacturer of the microprocessor (303, description Detailed).   5) Method according to claims 3 and 4 wherein the equi-probability of the combination is guaranteed by the non-reset lottery counter after a calculation sequence, thus ensuring that all combinations are actually taken into account during the time and some 30 are counting stops or device state changes (303-305, detailed description).   6. A method according to claims 1 to 3 wherein the probability of gain is made selectable by a simple counter passing to 0 after successive decrements of potentially winning combinations (307, detailed description); the device thus very simply offers a wide choice of gain probabilities between 0.1% and 10%, the selection being made when the device is powered up by the appropriate initialization of a counter (301).   7) Device according to claims 1 to 3 wherein the display of the resulting combination (104) of the lottery is done by simulating the rotation of digits by successive display of the peripheral segments of the displays. The stabilization of said displays on their final value is displayed by display, while the other displays continue to simulate the rotation effect; thus offering a suspense to the display of the result (311, 312, detailed description).