GB2173406A - Electronic cribbage board - Google Patents

Abstract

The board comprises a track 13 having at least two sets of score for inputting scores and player lights, player operated keypad 11, identification information, and a display 12 for displaying each hand count as it is entered. The device further includes a memory, a central processing unit coupled to the keypads 11, and a decoder for operating each of the sets of score lights in response to the player score data in the memory and signals from player identification enabling means. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electronic cribbage board BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates an electronic cribbage board for use in playing the card game of cribbage.

A conventional cribbage board can be difficult to use because of the large number of closely spaced holes into which pegs must be inserted to keep score. Often pegs become inadvertently displaced when a player is moving them to add his hand to his score or they may break off in the holes or even get lost.

The use of a conventional board is particularly difficult for perons having poor sight or infirm hands. Various improvements to conventional cribbage boards have been made as a result.

U.S. Patent No. 2,375,040 issued to Sattoris on May 1, 1945 discloses metal pegs and a cribbage board having a multiplicity of openings for the pegs. When the pegs are pushed into certain of the openings a circuit is closed which causes a lamp to light up to indicate what is referred to as a "benefit", a "stall" or a "penalty".

U.S. Patent No. 3,189,888 issued to Bradley on June 15, 1965 discloses a cribbage board having a plurality of lights corresponding to the peg holes which are selectively illuminated by a units and tenths switch at each end of the board. The players must mentally compute their hand count, add it to the existing score and then move the switches to a setting corresponding to the new score.

Canadian Patent No. 1,120,507 issued to Rintoul on March 23, 1982 discloses an electronic cribbage board having a single common hand count display unit and 5's input keys, a pair of player identification keys, an erase key and an OFF-ON button all mounted in the center of the board. The track consists of two sets of coloured lights, one set being red and the other blue. A given hand count is entered by mentally breaking it down into 5's and 1 's and then pressing the unit and 5's switches the required number of times. If an error is made in the hand count as evidenced by the common display the value put in must be erased and re-pushed. In each track two lights are used to keep score as with the two pegs used in a mechanical board, a leading one for the present game score and a 'trailing' one for the score immediately before the present score.Upon pushing an enter switch the display is erased and the count transmitted to a red or blue counter/adder module. A storage decoder which controls the light illumination causes the trailing indicator to be extinguished and a new leading indicator light to be illuminated. In order to add an additional track of indicator lights it is necessary to. add additional enter switches, counters and adders, win indicators, etc. Considering that each of the- 120 light indicators would ordinarily be wired individually to their corresponding storage decoder clearly the volume of the electronics increases significantly with addition of another track of lights.

Moreover, the large number of discrete components in the Rintoul device leads to a relatively large power dissipation that makes it unsuitable for operation over extended periods of time from a battery power source.

Finally, the need to mentally compute the required number of 5's and 1's required for a given hand count constitutes an additional mental step that opens up a greater possibility for error. For example to enter a score of 29 it would be necessary to first mentally compute the number of fives and ones to make up a total of 29. It would next be necessay to press 5 fives and 4 ones for a total of 9 individual operations. There is thus a possibility of error due to the mental step and secondly a possibility of error in the physical step of pressing the required number of fives and ones.

SUMMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided an electronic cribbage board which has a track with at least two sets of score lights and a player-operated keypad for inputting player hand counts and identification information. A display is located proximate the keypad for indicating a player's hand count. A memory is provided for storing a player's score and identification information. A player identification enabling means provides repetitively cycled successive player identification enabling pulses. A central processing unit is coupled to the keypad for receiving input hand count and player identification information therefrom, for recording the hand count on the display and for using the hand count and player identification information to update the player score data stored in the memory.A decoder, coupled to the memory and to the player identification enabling means, is used for operating each of the sets of score lights in response to the player score data in the memory and to signals from the the corresponding player identification enabling means. The use of a central processing unit permits a much greater range of information processing and control than has been available for electronic boards by hitherto known devices. For example, the central processing unit in response to selected signals received from the keypad may subtract an incorrectly entered hand count from the score, clear a keypad entry, and reset the lights in each track. It also can control the frequency at which the hand count is entered into memory and thus the rate of sequential advancement of light illumination along a selected track as well as controlling the updating of an illuminated display.

By alternately illuminating the score lights at a frequency sufficiently high so that no flicker ing of the lights is noticeable to the human eye, substantial reductions in the power dissi patio of the system are achieved primarily due to a savings in power used by the con trols.

Preferably, the central processing unit di rects the lighting -of a "leading" and a "trail ing" light in each track, the leading light for indicating a present game score, and a trailing light for indicating an immediately preceding game score, and when updating a score, causes the lights corresponding to the previ ous score to light up sequentially when ad vancing towards a new present game score.

Advantageously, the central processing unit, by controlling the rate at which a total score is incremented to form a new total score in memory causes the trailing lighted light to ad vance light by light until it reaches the leading light and thereafter to advance -light by light at a reduced speed, which permits a player to count each light as it is lit up in succession, until it reaches a light corresponding to a new total game score. The rate of advance of the trailing light may be in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 seconds until it reaches the leading light, and then the rate of advance thereafter could be in the range of 0.2 to 1.0 seconds.

Preferably, the keypad is a touch pad having ten digit keys, each corresponding to a differ ent one of the digits 0 to 9, inclusive, a key for subtracting a digit from a total game score, a key for clearing an entered hand count, keys to identify which set of'indicator lights an entered hand count is to be directed toward, and a key to reset the board to start a game.

A second such keypad may be provided with each such keypad being located at oppo site ends or sides of the board. Such a loca tion enables each of two players to enter their own score. By providing ten keys correspond ing to the integers 0 to 9 inclusive, a player can enter any score he achieves by simply pressing at most two keys and a player iden tification key. In the event that an error is made, the corrected score can be obtained either by adding or subtracting a digit from the entered score, or by simply clearing the entered hand count and re-entering the correct one.

By providing a display adjacent to each key pad, each player can not only control the en try of his own hand count, but can also moni tor the hand count entered by the opposite player.

By providing for sequential advancement of the lights commencing from the trailing light up to the light corresponding to a new total .game score, the electronic cribbage board provided herein simulates the counting which takes place in an ordinary mechanical cribbage board. This allows a player to monitor the actual hand count entered by the lighting system, in the event there is any human error. It also provides a greater feeling of association with the mechanical cribbage board, than would a system which simply extinguished the trailing light and illuminated the new leading light.

The decoder preferably includes a matrix of wires coupling the lights in a given set of lights into a preselected number of matrix rows and columns with the matrix columns each corresponding to a preselected set of one of the least and most significant integers and the matrix rows to a preselected set of the other of the corresponding least and most significant integers for a given game score, with means for passing electrical current along a column of said matrix through a selected light and along a row of said matrix containing said light to a sink for such current, thereby lighting up a light corresponding to a total game score. In order to minimize the number of wires, the number of columns selected is 8, and the number of rows is 15.For a game board having three separate tracks, the latter arrangement would provide for a total of 39 wires, 15 row wires leading to each row of the three sets of matrices and three sets of eight wires leading to the columns of each of the three matrices. Other arrangements are possible, such as a decimal arrangement, having 10 columns and 12 rows, with the units of any total game score being used to activate the current along a given column and the 10's used to activate or sink current along a given row. However, for a decimal system with three sets of lights, there would be a minimum of 30 column wires in all required and 12 row wires, leading to a total of 42 wires in all. More wires would be required if lights are used to indicate "start" or "win".

For more unusual arrays, such as for example, 10 columns and 3 sets of 12 rows or 46 lights, more parts are required because decoders commonly are available only with 2, 4, 8, 10 and 16 outputs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA WINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the game board showing its layout; Figure 2 is a block circuit diagram showing the circuit arrangement of the cribbage board; and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the decoding matrix into which the indicator lights are formed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE ro THE DRAWINGS The general layout of the cribbage board 10 as illustrated in Figure 1 accurately conforms to that of a conventional mechanical cribbage board with the track 13 starting from one cor ner and running along the length thereof circling around to the opposite side running down that length and curving around and running up the centre terminating proximate an outer arcuate portion 26 of the track. 13. A pair of 16 key touch keypads 11 having digits in the same location as in a telephone touch keypad are located at either end of the board 10 each keypad 11 having a total of 16 individual keys. Adjacent to each keypad 11 is located an illuminated numeric display 12 for displaying an entered hand count.

Upon the track are a total of three sets of lights 14, 15 and 16 which when illuminated give off the colours red, green and yellow, respectively. The lights are conventional light emitting diodes. (The colours orange and blue are also available.) At the start of the track there are- three lights 17 corresponding to each of the three sets of lights for indicating "power-on" and two lights 18 for each of the three sets of lights corresponding to "start" positions. In addition, there is a common "finish" or "wins" -light 25 which is illuminated upon the first player exceeding a total score of 120. In addition to these lights, there are the three sets of 120 lights each formed in the three rows and arranged in groups of 5 in each set.

The keypads 11 each have 10 keys which correspond to the digits 0 to 9 inclusive.

There are an additional 3 keys, 19, 20 and 21 for directing entered hand counts to the red, yellow or green tracks respectively. There is a minus key 23 for subtracting a given amount from the total game score of a given player, and a button 24 for clearing a keypad entry in the event that the numeric display 12 shows an error. Finally, there is a button 22 to reset the board for a new game. There is also an ON-OFF switch not shown: A block diagram of the circuitry fqr the board is illustrated in Figure 2 in which the keypads 11 each pass through a gate 28 which accepts input from either one of the keypads 11 During the time a hand count is being entered on one keypad, the gate 28 paralyzes the other keypad by not accepting data from it until such time as the data from the first keypad has been processed.The keypad data is directed to a central processing unit (CPU) 30 which enters the hand count through an interface 39 into two illuminated numerical units 12. A clock 32 having outputs A, B and C with the frequency of C being half that of B and of B being half that of A are directed to a central processing unit 30 as well as to a random access memory 34 which is coupled to the central processing unit 30.

The clock signals are used to synchronize operation of the CPU 30, the memory 34 and the lights 14, 15 and 16. Each time a hand count is entered into the central processor 30, a new total score is calculated and loaded into the random access memory 34 in single step increments at a rate of one half second between increments. A low frequency output of clock 32 (not shown) determines the rate of loading into the random access memory 34.

The arithmetic capabilities of the central processing unit 30 provide the ability to generate and send the appropriate binary or decimal signal to the random access memory 34. The output of the random access memory 34 is connected to a light emitting diode decoder 36. Clock 32 outputs B and C are coupled to a player code enabling circuit 38 which provides 3 output states along each of 3 wires corresponding to the colours red, green and yellow to the light emitting diode decoder 36.

These signals direct the output from the decoder 36 to the appropriate set of lights in the track 13. The output from the random access memory 34 is in synchronization with the player identification enabling impulses from the player identification enabling circuit 38. The third clock output shown as A divides the time equally between the leading and the trailing pegs on each track. The combined units form a continuous display of 6 illuminated lights at the locations given by the numbers stored in memory, with approximately equal times for each of the two sets of three lights corresponding to either the trailing or the leading lights.

The two wires fed into the player identification enabling circuit 38 generate cycles of four different states corresponding to the four different values the two bits may take with equal times in each state (i.e. 00, 01, 10 and 11).

Only 3 of these are chosen for the red, green and yellow inputs to the light emitting diode decoder 36, although 4 might be used in the event that four tracks or four sets of tracks of indicator lights are desired. Similarly, if only 2 sets of indicator lights were used, only 1 wire would be fed to circuit 38 and only clock outputs A and B would be required.

The central processing unit 30 also interfaces with the finish hole 25 and provides the correct output to a bipolar light emitting diode located at that position. The bipolar diode is of a nature such that when current is fed through it in one direction, it provides the colour red and when the current is fed through in the other direction, it provides the colour green. By cycling current first through it in one direction and then through it in another direction at a sufficiently high frequency the appearance of the light emitting diode will be made to appear yellow. Consequently, a single light can be used to indicate a win for any of the three tracks 14, 15 or 16.

For a negative correction applied to the CPU 30, the CPU 30 ensures that the leading light is not allowed to go below the trailing light but moves the trailing light back to a location lower than the leading light.

Referring to Figure 3, the light emitting diode decoder and light matrix assembly is shown in which the light emitting diodes 40 are arranged in 8 matrix columns and 16 matrix rows. Wires join each diode 40 along a given column and a given row. By intercon necking a different column with a different row, current will pass only through that diode which marks the intersection of the column.

with the row. This is accomp!ished by connecting the anodes of the diodes to the wire running along the column and the cathode to the wire along the row. With positive voltage applied on the wire connected to the anode and the cathode connected to a more negative potential current flows through the diode thereby illuminating it. A 74154 or equivalent device 52 having 16 outputs each coupled to a selective row is used to sink current along a selected row. The wires in the columns are coupled to each of 8 outputs of a 4051 CMOS or equivalent device 52. For each of the remaining 2 sets of lights, there is a separate 4051 device. coupled to the columns of each such set whereas the rows of each such set are connected in common with the rows of every other set.

The 4051 CMOS chip is an array of resistors of 80 to 200 ohms addressed as a 3:8 decoder. Each of the resistors is off but one which can pass current to a column wire. The three least significant bits of a total game score are fed into the 4051 CMOS and result in enabling 1 of the 8 resistors coupled to the columns to pass current The four most significant bits are fed into the 74154 device and result in a selected 1 of the 16 rows to be activated so as to be able to sink current.

Thus current which passes along a selected column is directed through a diode which couples that column to the row corresponding to the most significant bits of the game score being recorded. Clearly the most significant bits could be used to activate rows and the least.significant bits to activate columns. As previously mentioned, when inputting a new game score the score is incremented sequentially at the rate of approximately one quarter of a second between increments until the trailing light advances to the leading light and then in increments at the rate of approximately one half of a second between increments until the new total game score is reached. This enables the player to count the hand count added to the previous score by watching the number of lights lit up after the previous leading light.Moreover, the sequen tial advancement of the lights provides a much more visually attractive display than simply blinking off a trailing light and lighting up a new light indicating the new total game score.

By enclosing the OFF-ON switch (not shown) to apply power to the circuitry, the current is sent through the lower-mòst light emitting diodes causing them to light up.

Upon pressing reset button.22 the 6 lights indicating start are also lit up.

In order to preserve power, the central processing unit is shut down most of the time thereby necessitating the use of an- external clock as opposed to using the clock normally present in the central processing unit itself.

It will be obvious that by utilizing a CPU, an expanded keypad of say 20 buttons could be used to provide for entering the value and suit of each card entered and have the CPU dalculate the value of a hand.

It will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that other forms of displays such as "bar light emitting diodes" or liquid crystal displays could be substituted for the light emitting diodes by custom fabricating the displays for such use. The liquid crystal displays are activated by alternating currents at very low levels, but would be addressable from a central processing unit in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 3.

In addition to a single "wins" or "finish" light 25 it is straightforward using the CPU to install a "wins" display which could keep track of say up to 5 wins per player with sets of 5 lights corresponding to each set of lights in the track.

Other variations, modifications and departures lying within the spirit of the invention and scope as defined by the appended claims will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims (15)

1. An electronic cribbage board, comprising: (a) a track (13) having at least 2 sets of score lights; (b) a player operated keypad (11) for inputting player hand count and identification information; (c) a display (i2) for indicating a player's hand count proximate said keypad (11); (d) a memory (34) for storing player score and player identification information; (e) a player identification enabling means for providing repetitively cycled player identification enabling signals; (f) a central processing unit (30) coupled to said keypad (11) for receiving input hand count and player identification information therefrom, -for recording the hand count on said display (12) and for using the hand count and player identification information to update the player score data stored in said memory (34); and (g) a decoder (36) coupled to said memory (34) and to said player identification enabling means for operating each of said sets of score lights in response to the player score data in said memory (34) and signals from the corresponding player identification enabling means.

2. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 1, wherein said decoder (36) operates said sets of score lights alternately at a frequency sufficiently high so that no flickering of the lights is noticeable to a human eye.

3. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 1, wherein said central prcessing unit (30) directs the lighting of two lights on each track (14, 15, 16), one for marking an immediately preceding score and one for marking a present score and when updating a score causes the lights corresponding to the previous score to light up sequentially.

4. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 3, wherein the central processing unit (30) upon directing the entering of a hand count causes the trailing lighted light in a set of score lights to advance light by light until it reaches a leading light and thereafter advances light by light at a reduced speed to simulate manual counting until it reaches a light corresponding to a new total game score.

5. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 4, wherein the rate of advance of the trailing lighted light until it reaches the leading lighted light is in the range of 0.10 to 0.5 seconds and the rate of advance after passing the leading light is in the range of 0.20 to 1.0 seconds.

6. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 1, wherein said keypad (11) is a touch pad having digits 0 to 9 inclusive and includes a key (23) for subtracting 1 from an entered hand count from a total game score and a key (24) for clearing an entered hand count before it has been added to a total game score.

7. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 1, including means for intermittently interrupting power to said central processing unit (30) during times when it is not transmitt- ing data.

8. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 1, wherein said keypad (11) is a touch pad having 10 keys each corresponding to one of the digits 0 to 9 inclusive, a key (23) for subtracting an entered hand count from a total game score, a key for clearing an entered hand count and keys to identify which set of indicator lights towards which an entered hand count is to be directed.

9. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 8, including a second one of said keypads (11) with each keypad (11) located at opposite sides of said board (10).

10. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 1, wherein said decoder (36) includes a matrix of wires coupling said lights of a given set of lights into a preselected number of rows and columns with the columns each corresponding to one of a preselected set of least or most significant integers and the rows to the other of a preselected set of least or most significant integers for a given game score with means for passing electrical current along a column of said matrix, through a selected light along a row of said matrix containing said light to a sink for such current thereby lighting up a light corresponding to a total game score.

11. An electronic cribbage board comprising: (a) an elongated board (10) having a track (13) with at least two sets of score light emitting diodes (40) with at least 120 diodes in each set; (b) a pair of player operated keypads (11k, one at either side of said board (10), for inputting player hand count and player identification information, each keypad (11) having 10 keys each corresponding to a different one of the digits 0 to 9 inclusive, a key (23) for subtracting an entered hand count from a total game score, a key (24) for erasing an entered hand count and keys to identify which set of indicator lights an entered hand count is to be directed towards; (c) a display (12) proximate each keypad (11) to display an entered hand count; (d) a RAM memory (34) for storing player score and identification information;; (e) a player identification enabling means for providing repetitively cycled successive player identification enabling electrical signals; (f) a central processing unit (30) coupled to said keypad (11) for receiving entered hand and player identification information therefrom, for recording the hand count on said displays (12) and for using the hand count and player identification to update the player score data stored in said memory (34); and (g) a decoder (36) coupled to said memory (34) and to said player identification enabling means for operating each of said sets of score lights in response to player score information in said memory (34) and signals from the corresponding player identification enabling means.

12. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 11, wherein said decoder (36) includes a matrix of wires coupling said lights of a given set of lights into a preselected number of rows and columns with the columns each corresponding to one of a preselected set of least or most significant integers and the rows to the other of a preselected set of least or most significant integers for a given game score with means for passing electrical current along a column of said matrix, through a selected light along a row of said matrix containing said light to a sink for such current thereby lighting up a light corresponding to a total game score.

13. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 11, wherein the number of columns is 8 and the number-of rows 15.

14. An electronic cribbage board as defined by claim 11, including a light corresponding to a "win" illuminated in response to control signals from said central processing unit (30) when a game score exceeds 120.

15. An electronic cribbage board substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.