GB2310806A

GB2310806A - Numbered chocolate balls

Info

Publication number: GB2310806A
Application number: GB9618522A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daryl White
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-09-05
Filing date: 1996-09-05
Publication date: 1997-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2016-09-05
Also published as: GB9618522D0; GB2310806C; GB2310806B

Description

CHOCOLATE NUMBERED BALLS This invention relates to solid or coated chocolate numbered balls and their proposed use.

The national lottery has been a tremendous success. Goods produced associated with this popular event have also had success. This invention represents another product of the event.

According to the present invention there is provided a selection of forty-nine chocolate balls, each with a unique number between one and forty-nine inclusive. The intention is that forty-nine chocolate balls can be produced and then sub-divided into seven, seven times over thus leaving no balls remaining from the initial forty-nine. Therefore, seven batches, each containing seven uniquely numbered balls will be produced.

The chocolate balls are to be numbered, either on the outer surface of the chocolate or, on the outside of any wrapping foil. One of the seven numbered balls produced shall be preceded by a letter 'B', indicating that this represents the bonus ball.

The initial forty-nine can be produced over and over again and continually sub-divided to produce seven batches of seven over and over again.

The method of selection will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows in perspective, a bowl type container with a funnel or an outlet pipe coming from the base of the bowl at position 2; Figure 2 shows a front elevation of figure 1, with the hinged plate at 1 in the open position; and Figure 3 shows a plan view of figure 1, with a hinged sliding plate at 2 in the open position.

Referring to the drawing in figure 1 the length of the funnel between 1 and 2 is to be seven times the diameter of a chocolate ball, such that seven balls only can be contained within this length. The diameter of the funnel is to be no more than a few millimetres greater than the diameter of a chocolate ball.

At position 2 there is a hinged plate that slides in a horizontal plane to close or open the exit from the bowl into the funnel. The plate is virtually flat and flush with the base of the bowl.

At position 1 there is also a plate that is hinged on one side of the funnel and simply clipped to the other side. By releasing this clip the plate will open.

It is the intention to collect the forty-nine uniquely numbered balls in the bowl between point 2 and 3, with the hinged plates at positions 1 and 2 in the closed position so that there is no entry to or exit from the funnel between 1 and 2. The central part of the funnel between 1 and 2 is to then be agitated via means of a mechanical arm and at the same time, the sliding plate at position 2 is to be opened so as to allow balls to enter the funnel. The agitation is to continue until a total of seven balls have collected in the funnel between 1 and 2. At this point the agitation is to cease and the sliding plate at 2 is to be closed. The opening and closing of this plate will be by means of a small handle connected to the plate through the base of the bowl as shown in figure 1 at position 4.

Now, with all the seven balls contained within 1 and 2 the hinged plate at 1 is to open and release the chocolate numbered balls into any containing device. One of the balls is to have a letter B attached to it to indicate that this in fact represents the bonus ball. The seven balls are then to be packaged.

The procedure is to be repeated again so that seven balls will now be selected from the remaining forty-two in the bowl. By repeating this seven times in total the basis of selection will thus be 7 from 49 initially, then 7 from 42, then 7 from 35 and so on until 7 from 14 and finally, the last remaining seven.

The whole procedure is to begin again, with an initial collection of 49 balls in the bowl.

Claims

1 Chocolate numbered balls, which are to be identified by means of a unique number between one and forty-nine inclusive. The numbering of such items is unique.

2 Chocolate numbered balls as claimed in 1, the method of selection being different in that it is not a selection of seven from forty-nine in every case.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1 A package

packaging material and a plurality of numbered chocolate balls, characterised in that no two chocolate balls bear the same number and in that the number of chocolate balls in the package is equal to the number of numbers that are to be forecast in a lottery.

2 A package as claimed in claim 1 wherein the numbers are on the surface of the chocolate or on the outer surface of any wrapping foil.

3 A package according to claim 1 substantially as herein descibed and illustrated.