GB2467096A

GB2467096A - USB powered lottery ball drawing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2467096A
Application number: GB0815163A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chi-Guang Chiou
Original assignee: JEANTECH COMPUTERS UK Ltd
Current assignee: JEANTECH COMPUTERS UK Ltd
Priority date: 2008-08-20
Filing date: 2008-08-20
Publication date: 2010-07-21
Also published as: GB0815163D0

Abstract

A lottery apparatus comprises a base 1, a hollow display portion 11, a support post 15, a downwardly extending tube 152, a pipe 13, and a hollow container 2 having an upper ball picking tube 223. Fan 18 and power supply 16 are provided in base 1 for directing air through an inlet 211 at the bottom of container 2 such that lottery balls 5 are agitated and blown into ball picking tube 223. A motor 3 is provided in post 15, and a ball scoop 31 is mounted on the axle of the motor such that the scoop may rotate between the tube 152 and the pipe 13 in order that a ball travelling up the picking tube 223 may pass through the tube 152 and into the pipe 13 for delivery to the display portion 11. The scoop 31 may be U shaped with the open part of the U being rotated between the tube 152 and the pipe 13 (see fig.s 5A and 5B). The scoop 31 may include a through hole (32, fig. 5B) in the side wall such that air may be blown through the scoop when the open side of the U is facing the pipe 13. The display portion 11 may include a pivoting window lid 12 which is opened to remove the displayed balls. The base 1 may include a USB socket 14 for operating the fan and motor using a USB cable connected to a computer (see fig. 7).

Description

LOYI'O STATION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

10001] The present invention relates to a simple lotto station.

*2.ThePriorArts f0092J Most of the countries in the world use lottery machines to draw the winning numbers for lottery. The lottery machines are usually classified into two types, gravity pick and air mix. The lottery machines are subject to strict security measures and involve precise mechanical control, and therefore the ordinary people are unable to use it for regular amusement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

10003] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an amusement apparatus and in particular to a lotto station for amusement.

100041 Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic control or computer program to control air-mix lotto station. A fan in a base is actuated to blow jets of air into a container to mix floating balls. One of the floating balls is randomly blown into an extension tube and then to a ball scoop. The ball scoop is actuated by a motor to rotate a predetermined angle. The drawn floating ball is pushed through a pipe and then into a display portion on the base by jets of air. Users can see the number on the floating ball through a window of the display portion.

100051 Accordingly, a lotto station in accordance with the present invention includes a base and a spherical container disposed on the base. The base comprises a fan and a power supply unit in the base, and a post extending upward. The post includes a projected member extending forward and the projected member has an extension tube extending downward. The projected member connects and communicates with a display portion on the base by a pipe. The post has a motor and a ball scoop is mounted on a driving axle of the motor. The ball scoop is driven to rotate between the pipe and the extension tube. The container includes an air inlet at the bottom thereof and air outlets at the top thereof. The air inlet and air outlets communicate with inner space of the container. The top of the container is provided with a vertical ball picking tube extending downward. The upper end of the ball picking tube connects and communicates with the lower end of the extension tube. When the user actuates the fan, jets of air pass through the air inlet and blow the floating balls around the inside of the container. One of the floating balls is randomly blown into the extension tube and reaches the ball scoop. The S motor rotates the ball scoop to a predetermined angle. The jets of air drive the floating ball to the pipe and then to the display portion on the base.

[00061 The actuation of the fan and the motor is respectively controlled by control buttons on the base. It may also use a signal cable and USB interface to connect the lotto station with a computer. Then the user can use computer codes to control the actuation ofthefanorthemotor.

[0007J The container according to the present invention includes a lower shell and an upper shell, which form a spherical container. The container is transparent, and thus the user can clearly see the floating ball floating in the container.

[0008] The display portion is provided with a window lid pivotally connected therewith. The window lid can be opened to take the floating ball in the display portion.

[00091 The cross section of the ball scoop is U shape. When the ball scoop is driven to rotate by the motor, a U-shaped opening of the ball scoop is rotated between the extension tube and the upper end of the pipe. The side wall of the ball scoop has a through hole. When the U-shaped opening is turned toward the extension tube, the floating ball can be blown into the ball scoop. When the U-shaped opening is turned toward the pipe, the through hole is toward the extension tube. The jets of air pass through the through hole and drive the floating ball into the pipe and then to the display portion.

IMUEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [00111 Fig. I is a perspective view showing a lotto station according to the present invention; (00121 Fig. 2 is an exploded view showing the lotto station and a container and floating ball; [00131 Fig. 3 is a side view showing the lotto station according to the present invention; [0014J Fig. 4 is a cross-sectionai view taken along line IV-IV in FIG 3; [00151 Fig. 5A is a schematic view showing an U-shaped opening of a ball scoop facing toward an extension tube; [00161 Fig. 513 is a schematic view showing the U-shaped opening of the ball scoop facing toward a pipe; [00171 Fig. 6 is a detailed view showing that a window lid of the lotto station is opened; and [0018] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the lotto station according to the present invention connected with a computer.

LISTING OF THE ELEMENT REFERENCE NUMERALS

[00191 1 base 11 display portion 12 window lid 121 window 122 handle 13 pipe 14 USB socket IS post iS! projected member 152 extension tube 16 battery cells 17 control unit 171 first button 172 second button 18 fan 2 container 21 lower shell 211 air inlet 22 upper shell 221 air outlet 222 ball inlet 223 ball picking tube 3 motor 31 ball scoop 32 through hole 4 signal cable 41 first USB plug floating ball 6 computer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TI-JIE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[00201 Referring to Figs. I to 4, a lotto station according to the present invention includes a base 1, a hollow container 2, a motor 3, a control unit, and a plurality of floating balls. The base 4 has a fan iS at the inside thereof and a power supply unit. The power supply unit may be battery cells 16 located inside the base or a power cable provided with a transformer and pluggab]e to a power socket. The base I is provided with a hollow display portion 11 at the front top portion thereof and a post 15 at the rear portion thereof.

One side of the display portion 11 is pivotally connected with a transparent window lid 12.

The window lid 12 includes a window 121 and a handle 122. The user can flip the handle 122 to open the window lid 12 as shown in Fig. 6. A projected member 151 extends forward from the top front side of the post 15. The projected member 151 includes an extension tube 152 extended vertically downward. The side of the projected member 151 connects and communicates with the display portion 11 by a pipe 13. A motor 3 is disposed inside the upper portion of the post 15. A ball scoop 31 is mounted on an axle of the motor 3. The cross section of the ball scoop 31 is U-shaped.

Referring to Figs. 5A and SB, the side wall of the ball scoop 31 has at feast one through hole 32. When the ball scoop 31 is driven by the motor 3, a U-shaped opening of the ball scoop 31 is rotated between an upper end of the pipe 13 and an upper end of the extension tube 152. When the U-shaped opening of the ball scoop 31 faces toward the pipe 13, the through hole 32 faces toward the upper end of the extension tube 152.

O021) The hollow container 2 is a hollow sphere disposed on the base 1. The container 2 has a transparent lower shell 21 and a transparent upper shell 22. The lower shell 21 is provided with an air inlet 21! at the bottom thereof. The upper shell 22 includes a plurality of air outlets 221 and at least one ball inlet 222. The upper shell 22 includes a ball picking tube 223 vertically extending downward at the inside thereof.

When the container 2 assembles with the base 1, the upper end of the ball picking tube 223 connects and communicates with the lower end of the extension tube 152. The container 2 receives a plurality of floating balls 5. The floating balls 5 are light spheres and surfaces of the floating balls 5 may be marked with colors, numbers or symbols.

100221 A control unit 17 to control the fan 18 and the motor 3 is disposed on the base 1. According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 17 includes a first button 171 and a second button 172 on the top of the base 1. The first button 171 controls the fan 18 to actuate. Jets of air are blown up through the air inlet 211 and around the inside of the container 2, floating and mixing the floating balls S. Referring to Fig. 5A, a diameter of the ball picking tube 223 allows only one random floating ball 5 to pass. When the floating ball 5 reach the ball scoop 31, the user presses the second button 172. The motor 3 is actuated to rotate the ball scoop 31 to a predetermined angle, thereby turning the U-shaped opening of the ball scoop 31 toward the upper entrance of the pipe 13 as shown in Fig. 5B. The upward jets of air pass the through hole 32 of the ball scoop 31 and blow the floating ball 5 into the pipe 13. The floating ball 5 moves along the pipe 13 to the display portion 11. After repeating the aforementioned process, a plurality of floating balls are drawn and orderly located in the display portion 11. The user can read the numbers or the symbols on the floating balls through the window 121.

The user can open the window lid 12 to take the floating balls 5 and put them back to the container 2 through the ball inlet 222. Then, the lotto station is actuated again to draw the floating balls 5.

100231 According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a USB socket 14 is provided at the side of the base I as shown in Fig. 7. A signal cable 4 has a first USB plug 41 plugged in the USB socket 14 of the base I and a second USB plug connected with a computer 6. Therefore, the user can respectively control the actuation of the fan 18 and the motor 3 through the computer 6 without pressing the buttons 171 and 172 mentioned above.

00241 According to a third embodiment, a ball scoop 31 is not provided with any through hole. The extension tube 152 and the pipe 13 form an acute angle therebetween.

When the U-shaped opening of the ball scoop 31 is rotated toward the upper entrance of the pipe 13, the floating ball 5 is slid down along the pipe 13 due to gravity. Therefore, the ball scoop 31 does not need the through hole to allow the jets of air to pass and push the floating baIl 5 to the pipe 13.

[O025 Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: I. A lotto station, comprising: a base, having: a fan and a power supply unit disposed in the base; a hollow display portion disposed on the base; and a post extending upward from the base and having a projected member, the projected member including an extension tube extending vertically downward, the projected member connecting and communicating with the display portion by a pipe; a hollow container disposed on the base, the container comprising an air inlet at a bottom thereof and a plurality of air outlets at a top thereof, the air inlet and the air outlets communicating with inner space of the container, the top of the container having a ball picking tube extending vertically downward, an upper end of the ball picking tube connecting and communicating with a lower end of the extension tube; a motor disposed in the post, a ball scoop mounted on an axle of the motor, the ball scoop driven to rotated between an upper end of the extension tube and an upper end of the pipe by the motor; and a control unit disposed on the base to control actuation of the motor and the fan.
2. The lotto station according to claim 1, wherein the container is a transparent hollow sphere and comprises an upper shell and a lower shell; the air inlet is located at a bottom of the lower shell and the air outlets and the ball picking tube are disposed at the upper shell.
3. The lotto station according to claim I or 2, wherein the display portion comprises a window lid pivotally connected therewith and the window lid is capable of being flipped open.
4. The lotto station according to claim I or 2, wherein the ball scoop has a U-shaped cross section; when the ball scoop is driven by the motor, a U-shaped opening of the ball scoop is rotated between the upper end of the extension tube and the upper end of the pipe.
5. The lotto station according to claim 4, wherein the ball scoop comprises at least one through hole at a side wall thereof; when the U-shaped opening faces toward the upper end of the pipe, the through bole faces toward the upper end of the extension tube.
6. The lotto station according to claim I or 2, wherein the base comprises a USB socket electrically connected with the fan and the motor; a computer is connected with the S USB socket by a cable to control actuation of the fan and the motor.
7. The lotto station according to claim I or 2, wherein the contr& unit comprises buttons on the base.
8. The lotto station according to claim I or 2, wherein the container comprises a ball inlet.S