GB2185612A - Skill with prizes machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A skill-with-prizes machine offers challenges to players, such as questions on a video screen, which if met correctly are rewarded with a payout. Each game requires a monetary or token input to the machine, and a balance is maintained between this income and prize payouts by monitory past performance and varying prize payouts if the balance strays too far from a norm. This can be augmented by altering the difficulty of the challenge or the time allowed to meet it.

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to skill with prizes machines This invention relates to skill-with-prizes machines.

Such machines set the player or players challenges, such as questions projected on a video screen and answerable by pressing one of a set of answer buttons corresponding to a list of possible answers also projected on the screen. Some machines are playable just for amusement, but others offer prizes if the player meets the challenge and attains a certain skill level.

The problem then is that a clever player may repeatedlywin on the machine and be awarded prizes in excess of the machine's income. The prizes may of course be limited, butto attract customers there should be the enticement of a reasonably large prize, say 1 0, if successful.

There have been various proposals for stabilizing prize-awarding machines and one is described in our Patent No. 280761 8B. But the system described there, and others known to us, is applied to machines with a gambling element and the stabilization is arranged to alter the odds on winning. Thus, if there is a sequence of closely spaced wins, the odds on winning combinations occurring in a fruit machine, for example, lengthen. Of course, prizes can still be won, and the machine could go bankrupt or nearly so, but experience has shown that thins rarely if ever happens. Thus, the machine can offer fixed prizes for thevariouswins and paythem out ifthose wins occur. The stabilization provides a built-in defence.

However, with a skill machine, such an approach may be of little use. Forexample, if a player knows all, or nearly all, the answers, then however difficult the questions posed by a quiz machine may be, then the player is going to win consistently. The machine will then be forced to pay out more than it can afford.

It is the aim ofthis invention to alleviate such a problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a skill-with-prizes machine comprising means for monitoring the incometo and prize expenditure from the machine and means for maintaining a sub stantially constant balance therebetween by varying the prizes in response to the relationship between past wins and losses.

The balance may be weighted so that, instead of general equality, the income over a period exceeds the pay-out on prizes over that period by a given percentage. This period may be ofthe life ofthe machine.

In addition to this, the output of the monitoring means may be used in determining the challengeto the player(s) in the next game or groups of games, the challenge being stifferfollowing a win than it would be following a loss.

Thus, in quiz machines for example, there may be various "banks" of questions, each bank being of a certain grade of difficulty, and the monitoring means may then select questions from a given bankaccord- ing to the state ofthe machine's finances. Another way, when a time limit is set to answer any question orgroup of questions, isto shorten that limitaftera substantial payout and to lengthen it again when the prize fund has recovered.

Preferably, the machine will not indicate what prize is at stakefor any particular game, although it will normally have a display showing the prizes it is capable of delivering . Thus a playerwill not be made awarethatthe chances of a big prize has been temporarily removed while income builds upto make such a prize possible. But even though a large prize maybetemporarilyunavailable,themachinewillalways produce at least a small prize ifthe player meets its challenge.

The monitoring of income and expenditure can be done in a similar mannerto that described in our Patent No.208761 8B. Counting of coins ortokens paid in and those paid out in prizes is readily carried out, and their comparative levels are then used to de terminewhat prize be paid paid bepaidoutthenexttimea player wins. A succession of non-winning playswill build up the prize reservoir, and the prize level can then be stepped up. Correspondingly, a prize pay-out will reducethereservoirandcausetemporarydiminution of prize level.

The the stabilization of the payout is controlled in accordance with the skill of the players.

1. A ski I l-with-prizes machine comprising means for monitoring the income to and prize expenditure from the machine, and means for maintaining a substantially constant balance therebetween by varying the prizes in response to the relationship between past winos and losses.

2. Amachine as claimed in Claim 1,whereinthe balance is weighted whereby income over a period exceeds the expenditure over that period by a given percentage.

3. Amachineasclaimed inClaim 2,whereinsaid period is the life ofthe machine.

4. A machine as claimed in Claimsl,2or3, wherein the output ofthe monitoring means is used in determining the challenge to the player(s) in the next game or groups of games, the challenge being stifferfollowing a win that it would be following a loss.

5. A machine as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the stiffening of a challenge is by selection of one with a greater degree of difficulty than the player would otherwise expect to meet.

6. A machine as claimed in Claim 4 or 5, wherein the stiffening of a challenge is by reduction of the time in which the player would otherwise be allowed to meet it.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to skill with prizes machines This invention relates to skill-with-prizes machines. Such machines set the player or players challenges, such as questions projected on a video screen and answerable by pressing one of a set of answer buttons corresponding to a list of possible answers also projected on the screen. Some machines are playable just for amusement, but others offer prizes if the player meets the challenge and attains a certain skill level. The problem then is that a clever player may repeatedlywin on the machine and be awarded prizes in excess of the machine's income. The prizes may of course be limited, butto attract customers there should be the enticement of a reasonably large prize, say 1 0, if successful. There have been various proposals for stabilizing prize-awarding machines and one is described in our Patent No. 280761 8B. But the system described there, and others known to us, is applied to machines with a gambling element and the stabilization is arranged to alter the odds on winning. Thus, if there is a sequence of closely spaced wins, the odds on winning combinations occurring in a fruit machine, for example, lengthen. Of course, prizes can still be won, and the machine could go bankrupt or nearly so, but experience has shown that thins rarely if ever happens. Thus, the machine can offer fixed prizes for thevariouswins and paythem out ifthose wins occur. The stabilization provides a built-in defence. However, with a skill machine, such an approach may be of little use. Forexample, if a player knows all, or nearly all, the answers, then however difficult the questions posed by a quiz machine may be, then the player is going to win consistently. The machine will then be forced to pay out more than it can afford. It is the aim ofthis invention to alleviate such a problem. According to the present invention there is provided a skill-with-prizes machine comprising means for monitoring the incometo and prize expenditure from the machine and means for maintaining a sub stantially constant balance therebetween by varying the prizes in response to the relationship between past wins and losses. The balance may be weighted so that, instead of general equality, the income over a period exceeds the pay-out on prizes over that period by a given percentage. This period may be ofthe life ofthe machine. In addition to this, the output of the monitoring means may be used in determining the challengeto the player(s) in the next game or groups of games, the challenge being stifferfollowing a win than it would be following a loss. Thus, in quiz machines for example, there may be various "banks" of questions, each bank being of a certain grade of difficulty, and the monitoring means may then select questions from a given bankaccord- ing to the state ofthe machine's finances. Another way, when a time limit is set to answer any question orgroup of questions, isto shorten that limitaftera substantial payout and to lengthen it again when the prize fund has recovered. Preferably, the machine will not indicate what prize is at stakefor any particular game, although it will normally have a display showing the prizes it is capable of delivering . Thus a playerwill not be made awarethatthe chances of a big prize has been temporarily removed while income builds upto make such a prize possible. But even though a large prize maybetemporarilyunavailable,themachinewillalways produce at least a small prize ifthe player meets its challenge. The monitoring of income and expenditure can be done in a similar mannerto that described in our Patent No.208761 8B. Counting of coins ortokens paid in and those paid out in prizes is readily carried out, and their comparative levels are then used to de terminewhat prize be paid paid bepaidoutthenexttimea player wins. A succession of non-winning playswill build up the prize reservoir, and the prize level can then be stepped up. Correspondingly, a prize pay-out will reducethereservoirandcausetemporarydiminution of prize level. The the stabilization of the payout is controlled in accordance with the skill of the players. CLAIMS

1. A ski I l-with-prizes machine comprising means for monitoring the income to and prize expenditure from the machine, and means for maintaining a substantially constant balance therebetween by varying the prizes in response to the relationship between past winos and losses.

2. Amachine as claimed in Claim 1,whereinthe balance is weighted whereby income over a period exceeds the expenditure over that period by a given percentage.

3. Amachineasclaimed inClaim 2,whereinsaid period is the life ofthe machine.

4. A machine as claimed in Claimsl,2or3, wherein the output ofthe monitoring means is used in determining the challenge to the player(s) in the next game or groups of games, the challenge being stifferfollowing a win that it would be following a loss.

5. A machine as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the stiffening of a challenge is by selection of one with a greater degree of difficulty than the player would otherwise expect to meet.

6. A machine as claimed in Claim 4 or 5, wherein the stiffening of a challenge is by reduction of the time in which the player would otherwise be allowed to meet it.