GB2188849A - Lottery game tickets - Google Patents

Abstract

Game apparatus comprising a plurality of cards (2), each card having a plurality of compartments (4), some of which compartments each contain one of a predetermined winning number of related marks and some of which compartments do not contain one of the predetermined winning number of related marks, each card being such that it contains all the related marks for giving the predetermined winning number of related marks, and each card being such that the plurality of compartments are visible to a player but the contents of the plurality of compartments are masked by a layer of a permanently removable masking material. The arrangement of the invention provides assurance to participants in a lottery that all cards had a chance of winning. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Game apparatus This invention relates to game apparatus and it relates more especially to game apparatus comprising a plurality ofcards.

Game apparatus is well known which comprises a plurality of cardswhich contain various types of marks such for example as letters, numbers and pictures, these marks being masked bya rub-off masking material. In use, individual cards of the game apparatus are often given to players as an incentive to purchase goods from a particular place and one currently well known use of the game apparatus is in petrol stations where a card is given to a motorist who purchases petrol from that petrol station. The motorist then plays the game by rubbing off the masking material and seeing if his or her card contains a winning mark.

There are many known variations ofthe above described known game apparatus and a player may be required to uncover a single mark, a predeterminedwinning numberofrelated marks, or the player may be required to match a partofa mark with another part of the mark in another card. As far as the player is concerned, all the known game apparatus is such that the player has no guarantee otherthan the word of the manufacturer/sponsorof the game apparatusthatthe required markis on one of the cards in the game apparatus.The player has a deep seated suspicion that when the cards are produced, they are not produced with a winning card orthey are only produced with a winning card to such an extremely large proportion of non-winning cards that it is virtually impossible for the playerto win.The players very soon h ave a ten dency to g ive up playing with the game apparatus on the ground that it is probably some kind of promotional set up in which there is either no chance of winning or no real chance of winning, and thus the player is not tempted to obtain the cards, which thus defeats the very purpose for which the cards were produced.

It is an aim of the present inventio to obviate or reduce the above mentioned problem.

Accordingly, this invention provides game apparatus comprising a plurality of cards, each card having a plurality of compartments, some of which compartments each contain one of a predetermined winning number of related marks and some of which compartments each do not contain one of the predetermined winning number of related marks, each card being such that it contains all the related marks for giving the predetermined winning number of related marks, each card being such that the plurality of compartments are visible to a player but the contents of the plurality of compartments are masked by a layer of a permanently removable masking material, the game apparatus being such that the player can win a prize by uncovering the predetermined winning number of related marks one at a time with the proviso that the player is prevented from winning if the player uncovers one of the compartments that does not contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks, and thegame apparatus being such that everytime the player plays with one of the cards of the game apparatus the player can check that all of the related marksforgiving the predetermined winning number of related marks are present on that card by uncovering a sufficient number of compartments until the predetermined winning numberof marks is shown whereby the player can obtain the personal satisfaction of knowing that it was possible to win with that card.

Thus, the game apparatus of the present invention is such that each card can be used to demonstrate the honesty of the manufacturer or sponsor ofthe game apparatus. There can be no doubt in the mind of a player that it is possible to win with each card of the game apparatus. Thus, the player is encouraged to continue using the game apparatus and therefore the goods or other idea for which the cards are given away or sold, and the player will not cease using the cards on the ground of a strong suspicion that it was never possible to win anyway.At any time a player should have a doubt with the game apparatus ofthe present invention, that player only hasto removethe masking material from a sufficient number ofthe compartments until the player has proved to himself or herself that the predetermined winning number of related marks was present on that card and that it was possible to win with that card. If the player has not won with that card, then the sole blame lies on the player having incorrectly uncovered one of the compartments that does not contain one of the predetermined winning number of related marks.

Usually, the game apparatus will be such that there are more ofthe compartments which do not contain one of the predetermined winning number of related marks than there are of the compartments which do contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks.

The game apparatus is such that the number of compartments and the winning number of related marks in the cards can be varied as desired to make the game apparatus more complex or more simple to use as may be desired. For example, each card may have from twenty to thirty compartments with from five to ten ofthe marks. Thus the cards may have, for example, thirty compartments with five marks.

Preferably, the compartments are each masked by a separate layer of the permanently removable masking material in order to reduce the risk of a player inadvertently removing the masking material of an adjacent compartmentto the intended compartment. With a separate layer of the permanently removable masking material for each compartment, a gap can be present between each separate layer of masking material so that a player exercising reasonable care should have no difficulty in only removing such the masking material from the intended compartment.

If desired, the cards could be produced so that each card has a single layer of the permanently removable masking material over the entire card, but then a player would need to exercise more care in removing the masking material in order not to break into an adjacent compartment to the intended compartment, which would lead to the player being prevented from winning in accordance with the rules ofthe use of the game apparatus.

Preferably, the permanently removable masking material is a rub-off masking material. The rub-off masking material can be any one ofthe known rub-off masking materials that are currently produced and are in use in known game apparatus. If desired, the permanently removable masking material may be a material which can be permanently removed by a method otherthan rubbing, for example by a chemical method involving the application of a chemical orthe application of pressure.

The game apparatus is such that it may use any type of related marks. Thus, for example the related marks may all be related by being all letters, numbers, pictures, symbols or colours. The letters, numbers, pictures, symbols and colourscan bethe same or different, so iong as they are all clearly related. Byway of example it is mentioned thatthe letters may be all A's or all B's and the numbers may be all 1's or 2's. The pictures may be pictures of animals, flowers or persons such as well known sporting personalities, for example footballers. The symbols may be dots, horoscope signs orthe signs on ordinary playing cards, that is hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds. The colours may be red, yellow, blue or green.

Generally, the cards can be produced in any desired combination of colours in order to appeal aesthetically.

Preferably, the compartments are square but the compartments may be of another shape, for example rectangularorcircular, if desired.

The cards may include space for advertising and/or promotional material.

The cards may contain the rules ofthe game apparatus. The rules may be printed or otherwise provided on the same side of the cards as the predetermined winning numberofrelated marks, or they may be provided on the reverse side of the cards.

The rules may be such that each card can be used to give one prize only, that prize only being given on the correct uncovering of the compartments giving the predetermined winning number of related marks. Alternatively, providing the player has not uncovered one ofthe compartments that does not contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks, then it may be possible to obtain, for example, first, second and third prizes by uncovering different numbers of related marks.

Thus, for example, if the predetermined winning number of related marks is five, then a player uncovering five out of five could obtain the first prize, a player obtaining four out offive could obtain the second prize and a player obtaining three out offive could obtain the third prize. In all cases, it would be essential that the player had not uncovered one of the compartments that does not contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks.

The player thus has the choice to stop at a desired point, for example in order to be certain of obtaining thethird prize or the second prize, orthe playercan continue in order to try and win the first prize. Such use of the game apparatus may enhance and maintain the interest of the players.

The cards can be made of any desired and appropriate materials such for example as paper, cardboard and plastics materials.

Embodiments ofthe invention will now be described solely byway of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows three cards of first game apparatus; Figure2 shows three cards of second game apparatus; and Figure 3 shows three cards of third game apparatus.

Referring to Figure 1, there are shown three cards 2 forming part of game apparatus. Each card 2 has a plurality of square compartments 4 as shown. Also as shown, some of the compartments 4 each contain one letter of a predetermined winning number of related marks which are in the form of the five letters A,B,C,D,E. Some of the compartments 4 each do not contain one of the letters of the predetermined winning number of related marks. Itwill be seen that each card has a total of thirty compartments 4 and only five of these compartments 4 contain the letters A,B,C,D,E. It will thus be appreciated that there are more of the compartments 4which do not contain letters than there are ofthe compartments 4which do contain the letters.It will be noted from Figure 1 that the lettersA,B,C,D,E in each ofthe illustrated three cards 2 are in different positions. Although the letters are in different positions, they are all present on each ofthe cards 2 so that each card 2 is such that it contains all the related marks in the form ofthe letters A,B,C,D,E for giving the predetermined winningnumberofrelated marks,thisbeingthefive related marksA,B,C,D,E in Figure 1.

Each card 2 is such that the compartments 4 are visible to a player. This is achieved by having compartment dividng lines 6 ciearly visible. The contents of the compartments 4 are however not visible because each compartment 4 is masked by a separate layer 8 of a permanently removable masking material in the form of a rub-off masking material. For simplicity of illustration, only some of the compartments 4 have been shown with the layers 8 butall ofthe compartments 4 in all ofthe cards 2 will actually be provided with the layers 8 of the permanently removal masking material.

The game apparatus is such that a player can win a prize by rubbing off the layers 8 ofthe masking material in an attempt to uncoverthe predetermined winning number of related marks, that isthe compartments 4 containing the letters A,B,C,D,E.

The player is prevented from winning if he or she uncovers one of the compartments 4that does not contain one of the letters A,B,C,D,E. The cards 4are such that every time a player plays with one of the cards 4, the player can checkthat all of the letters A,B,C,D,E are present on the cards 2 by simply uncovering a sufficient number of the compartments 4 until all of the letters A,B,C,D,E are shown. The player can thus obtain the personal satisfaction of knowing that it was possible to win with that particular card 2. If the player did not win because he uncovered a compartment 4 that did not contain one of the letters A.B,C,D,E then the player will know that this was his or her own doing and that itwould have been possible to win if the player uncovered the correct compartments 4.Thus each card 2 can be used to demonstrate the honesty of the entire game apparatus. Indeed, as a further sign of honesty, the manufacturers or promoters ofthe game apparatus could offer a prize for any person able to show that a card 2 had been produced without the entire winning number of lettersA,B,C,D,E.

Referring nowto Figures 2 and 3,similar parts as in Figures 1 and 2 have been given the same reference numerals and their precise construction and operation will not again be given. In Figure 2, the cards 2 are such that the related marks are in the form of the numbers 1,2,3,4,5. In Figure 3, the related marks are such that they are in the form of dots.

The cards 2 can be produced in any desired mannerfrom any desired materials such for example as paper, cardboard and plastics materials. Byway of example it is mentioned that the cards 2 can be appropriately printed with all ofthe desired information and then they may be covered with an ultra violet varnish overthose areas where the rub-off masking material isto be applied. The rub-off masking material can then be applied and the rub-off masking material may be a silver or gold powder in a suspension such that the rub-off masking material is in the form of an inkora varnish. The ultraviolet varnish gives a hard solid surface that enables the rub-off masking material subsequently to be rubbed or scratched off relatively easily.The rub-off masking material may also be a latex coating if desired.

it is to be appreciated that the embodiments ofthe invention described above have been given byway of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the compartments 4 can be ofa shape otherthan square, such as rectangular or circular. More or less than the illustrated thirty compartments 4 may be employed and more or less than the illustrated five marks per card may be employed. By varying the number of compartments 4and/orthe number of marks,the game apparatus may be made more complex or more simple as may be desired. The cards 4 may also be produced with a space for advertising and/or promotional material and the front or the rear faces of the cards may also be provided with the rules for playing with the game apparatus. Obviously, other types of marks to the illustrated letters numbers and dots may be employed and any type of permanently removable masking material may also be employed. The game apparatus may be used for any of the purposesfor which existing cards are used so that the game apparatus may be used for exampleto promote the sale of products and for lottery or bingo purposes.

Claims (9)

1. Game apparatus comprising a plurality of cards, each card having a plurality of compartments, some of which compartments each contain one of a predetermined winning number of related marks and some of which compartments each do not contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks, each card being such that it contains lithe related marks for giving the predetermined winning number of related marks, each card being such that the plurality of compartments are visible to a player but the contents ofthe plurality ofthe compartments are masked by a layer of a permanently removable masking material, the game apparatus being such that the player can win a prize by uncovering the predetermined winning number of related marks one atatimewith the proviso that the player is prevented from winning if the player uncovers one of the compartments that does not contain one of the predetermined winning number of related marks, and the game apparatus being such that every time the player plays with one ofthe cards of the game apparatus the player can check that all of the related marks for giving the predetermined winning number of related marks are present on that card by uncovering a sufficient number of compartments until the predetermined winning number of marks is shown whereby the player can obtain the personal satisfaction of knowing that it was possibleto win with that card.

2. Gameapparatusaccordingtoclaim 1 in which there are more ofthe compartments which do not contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks than there are of the compartments which do contain one ofthe predetermined winning number of related marks.

3. Game apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the compartments are each masked by a separate layerofthe permanently removable masking material in order to reduce the risk of a player inadvertently removing the masking material of an adjacent compartment to the intended compartment.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the permanently removable masking material is a rub-off masking material.

5. Game apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the related marks are all related by being all letters, numbers, pictures, symbols or colours.

6. Game apparatus according to any one ofthe preceding claims in which the compartments are square.

7. Game apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the cards include space for advertising and/or promotional material.

8. Game apparatus according to any one ofthe preceding claims in which the cards contain the rules ofthe game apparatus.

9. Game apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.