Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 93/14462 PCr/13S92/10519
CA21 1 7352
DF.C:r'RTPq~TON
A pROMOTTO~l~T. t~ ~nD ,~Nn ~pp~R~ us T~RF~FOR
A portion of the disclosure of this patent
document contains material which is subject to copyright
protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
facsimile ~e~ uction by anyone of the patent document
or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent
and Trademark Office patent file or records, but
otherwi~e re~erves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The ~~ ?nt application is a continuation-in-
part application of application Serial No. 07/821,988
filed on January 16, 1992.
k~.~r~ 1 F~eld
The present invention relates to games and,
more particularly, relates to games in which prizes are
awarded. Still more particularly, the ~le~e~t invention
relates to games in which the prizes awarded are the
p~v~cts displayed as-a re~ult of playing the game.
R~ . ~ "~ rt
~t is customary for all types of busi ne--~F to
promote their products and services by offering tho~e
~ u_L~ and ~ervice~ at more attractive prices. Such
promotion~ typically involve the u~e Of ~-Ot~E~"c~ such as
- buy one-get one free ~0~~-O~ o ~~-o .~ redeemable for
products or services at r-A~c~A price~ or for free,
rebate ~ou~-o-,ç-, etc. These promotional te~ ues are,
at best, only marginally effective at promoting the
good~ and services of businef--6 and, accordingly, the
extraordinary ~Yp~te in ronA~ting these promotions is
hardly justified. Thu~, in promotions employing
C~ ..C, the c~ .c are typically distributed through
newfipapers, magazine~ and mass mailings to households,
and therefore mo~tly reach ro~ ~ers who are totally
di~interested in the particular product or service being
promoted. Of tho~e con~umers that may potentially be
intere~ted in the particular ~u~- or service, many
c~nnot be bothered or do not remember to clip the ~PG~I
from the new~paper or magazine and bring it to a store
W093/14K2 PCT/VS92/10519
-2-
C A 2 1 1 7 3 5 ~or redemption. Other consumers may collect the
~o ~ , but fail to redeem Q~me prior to their
~ expiration dates. The~e burdens placed on consumers
result in low ~ou~cn redemption rates and, hence,
inefficient and ineffective promotional ~L Oy~ ams by
busi r~ O.
Other promotional tec~niques which are
frequently employed by businesses are similarly
inefficient in that they are not targeted to narrowly
defined ~o~ of potential customers. Accordingly,
these promotional schemes, which include contests,
~-ee~_Lakes, free product giveaways, etc., suffer from
drawbacks similar to those e1.~o!-.Lered when using
~ ~>~1-~~
lS In order to o~ ome the poor results which
have been obtained with these cu..~el.Lional promotional
scheme~, attempts have been made to devise ~ G~ r ams
which are targeted to more select ~ of consumers.
In one such system, shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,723,212
i~sued February 2, 1988, the purchase of certain
products cau~es the generation of ~i~Co?~nt ~G-.~.O~.c which
may be u~ed to purchase different products from the ones
originally purrh-~e~. Each item purr~-r-~ is examined
to ~ee if a cou~ , is to be generated, and when all
it~-Q have been examined and the maximum number of
coupons determined, a suitable number of ~i~Co?~t
coupons are printed and i~?~. The patron does not
take part in the ~ -ss other than to select the
original products for purchase. There is no display of
the manufa~-u~ 8 product~, and the prizes awarded, if
any, are intentionAlly different from the ones the
patron has ~elected.
Other attempt~ have been made to develop
promotional scheme~ which will be of more interest to
potential cu~tomers. Typically, such schemes center
around the playing of a ga~e. In one system, described
in U.S. Patent No. 5,007,641 i~ued April 16, l99l, a
number of tokens having the 6a~e comoon code are
W093/14K2 PCT~US92/1~19
-3-
C A 2 1 1 7 3 52di~tributed to patrons by an e~tablishment or packaged
with the ~ Gd~ct line to be promoted. The tok~nc must
be L~o~l,L by the patron to the establi~hment and played
in the game device. Certain of the tokenc result in the
award of a prize which must be claimed at a redemption
booth. The system it~elf does not display the
manufa~Lu~ products and therefore neither improves
the patron's memory of such products nor triggers a
desire to purchase such products. Mo~eover, the prizes
awarded bear no re~emblance to the code shown on the
token or the game display.
A further known device, disclosed in U.S.
Patent No. 4,982,346 i ~ A January 1, 1991, shows
visual adverti~ements of various products and dispen--~
~ou~-.". if the patron wins. The win is determined by
ma~çhi n~ the number on a readable card with a
.e ~~lected ~et of wi nn i n~ numbers in the device.
~g-in, the actual pr~ze won i~ not dhown by t-he device
and bears no direct relatio~c~ip to what is shown.
Thue, de~pite the con6iderable effort that has
gone into the development of many different promotional
sy~te~s, there remains a need for a more effective
sy~tem which will attract the attention of potential
cu8tomere and which can acquaint these customers with
the ~.G~ucts and/or service~ being promoted by a
business. Preferably, this system can be operated
within a busines~ establi~hment where it can be targeted
to a more ~elect group of potential customers.
Summarv of the Tnvention
one aspect of the invention provides a
promotional gaming method which includes the step of
e8~hl i r~ i n~ ~t 1ea8t two separ~te series of
repre~entations, including representations of products,
services or both on a game machine. Most preferably, at
least ~ome of these re~ ~ntation~ are ~ nt in two
or more of these ~erie~. Alternatively or additionally,
the ~erie~ ~ay include ~wild card~ ~ymbols. The method
further includes the step of t upon play by a patron,
W093/14K2 PCT/~S92/l~lg
-4-
~A 2 1 1 735 ~ndomly placing the _eries with re~pect to one another
and with respect to a fixed ref-~eu~ location on the
game machine. One L _~1 eBentation of a product or
service on a first series may at tiJes be aligned with
one ~ C~L asentation of the product or service on the
other eeries to form a wi nni ~g combination. Where "wild
card" ~ymbols are ~.~~snt, a winning combination may be
formed by a product or service L e~L esentation and a wild
card _ymbol. The method further includes the step of
awarding a prize to the patrons who form _uch a winning
combination. Moet preferably, the prize is a product or
~ervice which is related in some way to the products or
~ervices in the wi nni ng combination. The patron will
naturally focuc his or her attention on the displayed
Le~ ntations to see if a win~ing combination is
formed. Because product or _ervice ~e~L ~ ~entations are
di-e-play-d, the promotional game according to this aspect
of the invention will focus the patron'_ attention
directly on the product or ~ervice L_p,~-~ntations. The
patron cannot play the gane without becoming con_cious
of a product or service being promoted. MO~ L~e~, the
game is enjoyable and in~c~e patron_ to play.
In preferred methods according to this aspect
- of the invention, each patron who wishes to play the
promotional game in an effort to win prize~ obtains a
game card by regi_tering at a _uitable ~ervice desk.
Certain identifying information about the patron is
L e~ ed and a uniquely coded game card is i~s~ to
~uch patron and cross-refc.e..~_d ag~in~t his identifying
information. The game card desirably also includes a
code identifying the establi~hment in which the game
card can be played.
In these preferred methods, the patron takes
his game card and in erts it into a game machine to
initiate play. In highly preferred methods, the
establish~ent code i first ch cked to determine whether
the game c~rd i~ entitled to be played on that game
machine. The unique code of the game card identifying
W093~t~K2 PCT/US92/1~19
-5-
2the patron is then ~Pcke~ against the stored codes of
game cardc played within a prescribed period, such as 24
hour6, and if it is found alre_dy stored, signifying
that it has initiated play within the last 24 hour
period, the game machine is locked out and the date and
time of the previous play and an a~ G~l iate message are
displayed on a visual di~play of the game machine.
In the event no match is found with stored
code~, the r_ndom selection device is operated and a
visual di~play of the peripheral surfaces of, for
example, three adjacent w~eo1~ is ~hown by the game
~achinc. On the~e peripheral ~urfaces are depicted a
series of images ~e~L~enting products, ~ervices,
manufa~u~O~ and other bu~ine~s symbols and other
indicia. Since the three Wh- ~1 s ~pin independently,
variou~ combinations of the~e images can be formed
entircly at random, including certain combinations for
which prize~ can be awarded. =- - -
In h;~hly preferred method~, the g~me machine
may di~play ~ore than one image at a time on each of thew~?-1r. Thu~, for example, when the wheel~ stop moving
there ~ay be di6played an _rray of nine i~ages
con~i~ting of three image~ on each of the three wheels.
Al~o~gh only three image~ will be co~pared to determine
whether there i~ _ winn;n~ combination, the display of
the- additional six images increa~es the advertising
effect. In a variant of thi~ method, the additional six
i~age~ ~ay remain fixed and only the images in those
positions which must be compared to determine whether
there is a winning combination will be moved randomly.
Another a~pect of the invention provide~ a
gu~e ~achine for playing the promotional ga~e. The game
~achine include~ a display for estab1iF~;ng a reference
point and at l-a~t two ~ep~rate ~eries of imageC, at
l-a~t one of which includes re~ tations of products,
~ervices or a co~bination of products and ~ervice~, the
two ~ ~ ies being independently movable with respect to
one anot~er and with re~pect to the refe~e.l~ location
WOg3/14K2 PCT/US92tl~19
-6-
C A 2 ~ 1 7 3 52so that an image in one of the series can be aligned at
the ref~le..~e location with an image in another of the
~ ~eries to form various combinations, select ones of
which being wi nn i nq combinations. The game machine
~ s further includes movement means for moving the series
with l~p~Ct to one another and means for signaling that
one of the winning combinations has been formed. Also,
means are provided for awarding a prize on the formation
of a wi nni ~ combination.
In preferred embodiment~ of the game machine,
the code on a game card in~erted into the game machine
actuates the movement mean~. In highly preferred game
machine~, maint~n~nce cards in~erted into and read by
the game machine instruct the game machine to perform
lS certain ~ me functions.
The game machine can be u~ed to display the
fact that prizes have been awarded and between plays can
display ~re~Gribed me~sages about the products and
services being promoted, the manufacturer, the
establishment or the game it~elf. These messages can
take ~everal forms, including ~till" adverti~ements,
banner~ having me~sage~ ~crolling acro~ them and moving
video~.
It is an object of this invention to provide a
promotional game ma~h~ne which is simple to use and can
be readily ~e~lG~.ammed to cbange the ~lGd~cts and/or
services being promoted.
It is a further object of this invention to
provide a game machine which can initiate the awarding
of prize~ in accordance with the objects displayed and
in amounts commensurate with the number and type of
u~L, ~ervice or ~ymbol images di~played.
It is yet another object of this invention to
provide a g~me machine which can only be played by a
given patron a fixed number of times within a fixed time
period.
Other objscts and f ature~ of the invention
will be pointed out in tbe following description and
W093/14K2 PCr/US92~1~19
-7- .
1 3 ~laims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
which disclose, by way of example, the principles of the
invention and the be~t mode- which have been presently
contemplated for carrying them out.
~rief De~rip~iQn of the Drawin~s
In the drawings in which similar elements are
given similar reference characters:
FIG. l is a front view of a game machine
~v.._L~ucted in accordance with one embodiment of the
lOinvention;
FIG. 2 ic a top plan view of a first form of
ga~e card which can be employed with the game machine of
FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another form of
15g me card which can be employed with the game machine of
FIG. l;
FIG. 4 is a highly schematic front view of one
pos~ible display on ~he screen of the game machine of
FIG. l;
20FIG. 5 is a highly sche~atic front view of
another poQsible display on the ~creen of the game
machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 6 is a highly sche~atic front view of yet
another po~sible display on the ~creen of the game
25machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 7 i~ a top plan view of a rou~-o.. which
may be j~ 6A by the game machine of FIG. l;
FIG. 8 ic a highly schematic front view of a
screen at a location remote from the game machine of
FIG. l; and
FIGS. 9a and 9b together are a flow chart of
the operation of the game machine of FIG. l.
~-6t Mode of CarrYina Out ~-he Tnvention
Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown one
embodi~ent of a game ~ac~i n~ 10 which may be installed
in a ~tore and played in accordance with the ~ethods
~irclosed ~erein. Game machine lO includes a cabinet 12
to house a computer and the peripheral ele_L~..ic and
W093/14K2 PCT/US92/10519
-8-
~~21 1 7352 mech-nical devices (not shown) required to operate and
perform the various functions of the game machine In
the upper portion of cabinet 12 is a video screen 14
which may be a TV monitor or the like Optionally,
video screen 14 may be positioned in a location remote
from cabinet 12, such as at an elevated level which can
be more readily seen by patrons throughout the store
The video- ~creen 14 displays computer-generated
repre~entations of the peripheral surfaces of three
adjacent wheels 16, 18 and 20 which can be rotated
independently of one ~nother in a random fashion so that
the effect is the same as watc~i~g the display of
mech-~ical slot machines Screen 14 may also display a
computeL ~enerated or permanently marked indicia 15 at a
pre~elected reference location Rather than include
depictions of lemons, cherries and other non-significant
~ymbol~, the wheels each carry a ~eries of images 17
which ~ cnt products and/or services - that a
manufa~Lu~c~, distributor or other business wishes to
promote As used herein, the term "~.od~cts" does not
refer to generic products, but rather refers to the
brand-n~me products of one or more manufa~-~Lc~ or
distributor~ Al~o ~ used herein, the term n service
~e~ entation" refers to a representation of a physical
article, apparatus or other thing which is commonly
identified with a particular service or which is useful
in connection with performing the service The wheels
may also di~play trademark~, service marks or other
symbols or logos l9 A~ociated with the manufa~Lu~e~,
di~tributor or other bu~iness, which marks, ~ymbols or
logo~ may ~erve as wild cards Alternatively, a store
wi r~ i n~ to promote certain of its own products or
scrvices or the products or services of another busine~s
n place L ~ entations of those product~ or ~ervices
3~ on thc w~ , as well as symbols identifying the store
which ~ay ~erve as wild card~ Further, the wheels may
di~play i~age~ wh~ch partially ~ sent the foregoing
products, services and/or sy~bolc so that upon the
WO g3/14462 PCr/US92/10519
_g_
C A 2 1 1 7 3 52 alignment of select ones of these images, a complete
~e~esentation of one or more of the products, services
and/or 6ymbols will be formed. The particular
combinations of product and/or service representations
for which prizes will be awarded, both with and without
wild cards, are determined in advance and ~.u~.ammed
into game mar~in~ 10, as will be Ai -C~C-~~ more fully
below.
The game machine 10 is operated by the
insertion of a game card, such as card 32 shown in
FIG. 2 or card 38 shown in FIG. 3, into slot 22 of game
~achine 10. G~me card 32 has a bar-code section 34
bearing a unique code which ~ ?nts a particular
patron and which thus identifies the game card.
Preferably, the bar-code section 34 will also include a
portion coded with information on the establishment or
chain of eRtablishments in which the game card 32 may be
played. For example, each supermar~et chain- and each
store in the chain may be identified by coded
characters. The game machine 10 can then be set to
operate only if it reads the code of the chain in which
it is in~talled or, if ~pecial pro~otions in one or more
stores are conAl~cted, only those game cards 32 which
contain the codes of the chain and tho~e selected stores
would operate the game ma~h;~e 10. Similarly, game
card 38 hac a magnetic stripe 40 upon which has been
~e_~ded a ~imilar unique code which represents a
partiCl~lAr ~aL.o.l and which therefore identifies the
game card, which code desirably al~o ~ e~ ents the
establi~hment or c~ain of e~tablishments in which game
card 38 can be played. The name of the chain or the
particular e~tablich~ent at which the game card is valid
may be printed upon the card itself, as at 36 on game
card 32, or 42 on ga~e card 38.
Located b~hi ~A slot 22 iS a guitable reader
(not ~hown) for reading bar codes of the type contained
on game card 32 or the magnetic ~tripe code of the type
contained on game card 38. In thi~ regard, any bar code
WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/1~19
CA21 1 7352
or magnetic stripe reader capable of ~ ,olLing an RS232
interface at 9600 baud may be used. The data read by
the reader will be used a~ set out below.
A further slot 24 is provided to dispense
Co~lo,lfi representing the prizes awarded. R~inA slot 24
may be a feoAi~g mec~nism (not shown) for Ai~p~nsing
~L p~ inted ~O.~.O,c stored in the game machine, or a
printer (not shown) which first prints the required
~o~o.. on a roll of blank paper or partially pre-printed
forms on which may appear the store name, address,
advertising information, etc., and which then feeds the
completed, ~eVcl Ld ~ OU~ t~ouyl. slot 24.
Referring to the flow chart of FIG. 9, the
general method for operating the promotional game is set
out. First, a patron goes to a service desk or the like
and requests a game card. The service desk personnel
will take certain identification data from the patron
which clearly identifies that patron only. -The-patron's
na~e, address, social security number, driver's license
number and similar data can be used. Optionally,
certain biGy~hic information may also be taken,
including the patron's sex, age, marital status, number
of children, etc. The data is entered into input
device 26 by de~ ing the keys of keypad 28. (See
FlG. 1.)
Next, the identification data is compared with
like identification data stored in the input device 26
to determine if this identification data has been stored
previously. If it matches previously stored
identification data, it means the patron already has
been ;~ A a game card 32 or 38, the fact of the match
i~ shown by a suitable display, and no new game card is
~ -A. In the a~ e of a match, a coded game card 32
or 38 is irS"?~ to the patron, and all of the entered
data is permanently stored in the input device 26. The
nu~ber of the game card is per~anently stored in input
device 26 with the identification data of the patron so
that the ~L~cn can be identified by his identification
WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/1~19
--11--
CA 21 1 7 3 52 data or game card number. In the event a game card is
lost, the patron can ~ L the lo s to persons at the
service de~k who will enter additional data into the
file of the patron in the input device 26 which will
render the lost game card invalid for play in game
machine lo. A new game card 32 or 38 with a new code
can then be i~ to such patron. At prescribed
intervals, the input device 26 may be co~ected by a
~uitable cable (see FIG. 1) to the game machine 10 to
uplo_d the codes of the invalid game cards to a
permanent memory location in game machine 10.
Alternatively, a keyboard (not shown~ may be temporarily
connected to the g_me machine 10 to enter invalid game
card codes directly into the permanent memory location
of game machine lo. In a preferred arrangement, the
information regarding invalid game card codes may be
downlQ-~A onto a di~k or other e_o~dable media (not
~hown) which may then be inserted into game machine lo
and uplo-~-A into the permanent memory location therein.
In _ny event, if any ga~e card ~e~G~ Led as lost is
thereafter in~erted far play, the g~me machine 10 will
not be activated. A message ~ay be displayed on video
~E ~n 14 or at the service desk to indicate that this
i~ an invalid game card.
Once it ha~ been io~ A to him, the patron may
insert his game card into slot 22 of game machine 10
which reade the code in bar code section 34 on game
card 32 or the code on magnetic stripe 40 of game
card 38. The portion of the game card code bearing the
establi~hment information ~ay fir~t be compared by game
machine 10 with establishment codes permanently stored
therein to ascertain that the ga~e card is being played
in an establishment in which it is accepted. If the
gamp card is not accepted by this particular
es~ahli~,hment, a suitable ~es~age to that effect will be
di~played on video D~e~ 14 _nd play will not be
initiated. On the other hand, if the establish~ent
infor~ation in the game card code is acceptable, the
W093/14~2 PCT/US92/1~19
-12-
random selection device in game machine lO will be
actuated automatically to initiate play.
As u~ed thlo~J1.o~L this specification, the
term "random" refers to a movement of the wheels 16, 18
~ s and 20 with respect to one another and with respect to
reference location 15 which appears to be entirely
random to the playing patron. As will be ~i~ctlcc~ more
fully below, the movement of the images on the wheels
may be truly random in that it is not influenced by any
instructions from the software operating the game
machine. It should be empha~ized that this truly random
movement of the images is the most preferred method for
operating the game machine in accordance with the
~ t invention. u l~eL, there is the possibility of
~ amming the operating ~oftware of the game machine
to ~ LLol the movement of these images to some extent
to assure that a wi nn i ng combination is formed at
~e~-ribed times or at ~le~cribed intervals. ~lthough
the influence of the software ~o..LLolling the operation
of the game machi n~ may make the movement of the ~
with respect to one another lefic than truly random, ~uch
movements will still appear to be truly random to the
playing patron. This latter po~sibility is a less
preferred method of operating the game machine.
In order to more equitably distribute the
prizes awarded, the establishment may desire to limit
how often each game card may be played during a
pre~elected period of time. The number of plays
permitted within the ~le~elected period of time may be
limited to one or may be selected to be a number greater
than one. For example, each game card may be limited to
only one play during each ~w_,.Ly-four hour period, five
plays in a one week period, etc. In order to accomplish
this result, each time the in~ertion of a game card into
slot 22 of gAme machine lO actuates the random selection
device of the g~me machine, the code on that game card
i- stored in a temporary memory location in game
machine lO. Stored along with the game card code are
WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/10~l9
-13-
~A21 1 7 7 52 the date and time of play, as determined by an internal
clock in game machine 10. If desired, the game
~achine 10 can al o be ~y,~mmed to store information
regarding prizes won by the patron on that play, if any.
As the patron inserts his game card into slot 22 of game
machine 10, the game machine can compare the game card
code on that card with all of the game card codes
previously stored in the temporary memory of game
mac~ine 10 to determine whether the random selection
device should be actuated. In the event game machine lo
dcter~ines that the game card code has not been played
the maximum permi~sible number of times within the
preselected period of time, the random selection device
will be actuated and the patron's game card code, the
date and the time of play will again be stored together
in the temporary memory location in game machine 10.
Thus, a particular game card code may be stored a~ one
or more entries in the temporary msmory location, the
date and time of play being ~tored along with each
entry. ~o~ the game machine 10 determine that the
game card code ha~ already been played the maximum
permissible number of time~, the random ~election device
will not be actuated, and in~tead, the dates and times
of each of the patron' 8 plays may be displayed on video
~creen 14 along with a video and/or audio message
indicating that play ha~ been denied.
The internal clock in game machine 10 can be
u~ed to periodically clear from the temporary memory
location of the game machine the data regarding those
30 ~aL~G~5 who had played. Thus, the machine may check the
date and time of play included with each game code
~.Lly, and may delete each entry having an noldn date
and time, i.e., a date and time more than a ~ ected
period before the chec~ing and deletion cycle.
Therefore, at the end of the ~r~!~e~ected period, each
~G.- will be able to reco-mence his playing of the
game ~achine. The clearing of the data stored in the
t mporary me~ory will not affect that information stored
WO93/14~2 PCT/US92/1~19
-14-
~A2 1 1 7352 in the permanent memory, such as the ~e_o~d of invalid
game codes. Alternatively, the machine may simply clear
all of the entries from the temporary memory at a
selected time, such as at midnight each day or at the
end of a week.
In a less preferred emhoAiment, all possible
game card codes are permanently stored in game
~achine lO, and each time a particular game card is
played a temporary notation i~ made within the game
machine a~ to the date and time of play. The additional
information provided by the~e notations is then used by
the game machine to determine if that game card is
entitled to be played at the time of ~ ~entation.
As ~et out above, the dicplay during the
lS operation of the random ~election device in res.ponce to
the insertion of a game card 32 or 38 is the peripheral
surface~ of three wh~el ~ 16, 18 and 20 which move
independently of one another in a random fashion until
they ~top at their final ~ettings. In these final
~etting~, one image on each wheel is displayed in
alignment with the reference location 15. This
alignment will typically be a linear arrangement in
either a horizontal row, a vertical row or a diagonal
row, alignment in a horizontal row being the most
preferred. Al~hQ~gh three wheels are described, it
should be under tood that game machine lO may include at
least two w~-~l 5 or any number of wheels greater than
two. The peripheral ~urfacec of the wheels are marked
with the images of a geries of ~t V~U~S and/or services
which are being promoted. These may include, for
in~tance, a ~eries of products of a particular
manufa~Lu~e~ or distributor, the products and/or
services of the e~tabli~hment in which the game machine
is installed, the products and/or services of a
different Q~tabli~ment, or combinations of any or all
of the above. In addition, image~ of symbolc or logos
identifying the manufa~-u~, the di~tributor, the
e~t~hli~hment or another bufiines~, collectively referred
W093/14K2 PCT/US92/lOSt9
-15-
2 to herein as "busineQs symbolcn, may be placed on the
wheel surfacec to act as wild cards. No actual wheels
exist, but these images re~ult from the operation of the
software within the game machine lO in a well-known
manner.
The eoftware required to generate the product
representations, service Le~L~-entations and business
symbol images; to determine the particular combinations
of images that will be awarded a prize; to determine the
odds of forming thece winning combinations; to display a
particular message or ~eries of mF-~-gDs; and to perform
any other task in connection with the operation of game
maC~ine lO ic .__~.d~1 on a disk or other storage media
in~ert~ble in the g~me machine. The software, a
preferred listing of which is shown in Arp~n~iy A
attached hereto, may be run on any computer system
r~nning WINDOWS from Microsoft Corp. Version 3.l or
greater and capable of ~ ,o~Li~ th~e -requisite
peripheral equipment, preferred models of which are
identified on the cover page of the attached software
li~ting. By placing the g~e ~oftware on a removable
di~k, any of the~e parameter~ may be changed by merely
replacing the storage di~k with a new disk having the
desired dat_. For example, the products whose
le~L e~entations appear upon the operation of game
machine lO can be changed merely by inserting a new disk
having the proper information. Similarly, a new stor~ge
di~k c~ be Qupplied to change the odds that a wi nn i n~
combination will be formed on any one play of game
machine lO. To increa~e the odds that any one
particular product or service .e~,~-entation will be
part of a winnin~ combination, the number of times
~ entations or partial .e~r~ ntations of that
product or sQrvice appear on the w~ Q is increased.
Similarly, the odds of forming a winning combination
with a parti~lar product or service Le~.~~entation can
be decrea~ed by decreasing the number of times
W093/14K2 PCT/US92/l~lg
-16-
CA21 1 735~e~ entations or partial ~e~Lesentations of that
product or service appear on the wheels.
Based upon the particular combination of
images which are in alignment in reference location 15
~ S at the end of the spin~i~g of wheels 16, 18 and 20, a
prize can be awarded. The criteria for determining
which combinations will be awarded a prize can be
selected from several different alternatives by an
a~ iate ~LGyLaming of the coftware which operates
game machine 10. In one method for forming a winning
combination, the product and/or ~ervice representations
on at lea~t two w~-~l fi will match one another.
Obviously, this method reguires that the ~ e~ esentations
of at least some of the products or services AppeAr on
at lea~t two of the wh~ls ~o that matches can occur.
For example, in game machines employing three
wh~ 16, 18 and 20, a wi nni ng combination may require
that the product and/or ~ervice L.~L.--~tations aligned
in ref~L~ _e location 15 when all three wheels come to
rest be ideentical. This concept is illustrated in
FIG. 4, in which wheels 16, 18 and 20 have each come to
rest showing ~L~~entations of cheese dip in horizontal
alignment. Other winni ng combinations in accordance
with thiC method may be formed tl~Gu~ll the use of
business ~ymbols which serve as wild cards. Thus, as
shown in FIG. 5, ~ 16 and 18 have come to rest
displaying representations of cheese dip, while wheel 20
has come to rest di~playing the manufa~L~LeL's logo. It
will be a~Le_iated that the use of business symbols as
wild cards eliminates the need to have the
representations of at least some of the products or
service~ appear on at least two of the wheels. This is
parti~lA-ly true in the case where only two wheels are
used, where a winning combination may be formed by
matc~ing a wild card symbol with a product or service
representation. The extent to which the images on the
wheels ~atch may determine the magnitude of the prize
aw~rded. Thus, at the option of the business employing
WO 93/14462 PCI'/I.,TS92/10519
-17-
CA21 1 73~ game machine 10 for promotional pul~o-e~~ the
cc..~ L..ce of the three product ~e~essntations in
FIG. 4 ~ay re~ult in, f or example, ten packages of
~h~ dip being awarded, while the combination of the
~ 5 matc~i~g product ~c~e~cntations on wheels 16 and 18
with the manufa~uler~8 logo on wheel 20 may result in
an award of only three pa~Ages of cheese dip or cents-
~f f ~ f or this product.
A method which is similar to, but less
preferred than that described above employs game
machines in which the three ~hr-l~ 16, 18 and 20 include
partial ~ entations of products and/or services. In
accordance with this method, a wi n~ ing combination
de~irably would reguire the proper ~lignment of all
Lh~ee wh~el~ to form a complete representation of the
product or service, as ~hown in FIG. 6. It will be
readily apparent that for co~binations in which less
than all of the wh~el~ in the ~ame .machine are
a~ iately aligned a complete .e~ entation of the
~v~u~L or ~ervice will not be formed and a win will not
be produc d. Al~c~h the UB- of business symbols as
wild c~rds would ~ ~..L complete ~ ntations from
being formed, the u~e of such wild cards are
contemplated herein to increase the odds of forming a
25 Wi nni ng combination.
In an alternate method, a w~ nn i n~ combination
~ay be for~ed by aligning le~ ~ntations of a
parti~ type of p~v~ L or service on each of the
wh~ or example, the three wheel F of game
machine 10 may include ~epLe~entations of cereal
products offered by different manufa~Lu~e~D. A wi nni ng
combination may then be formed by aligning three
repre~entations of cereal products offered by a ~ingle
manufa~u~el. The repre~entations of the cereal
product~ may all be different, or s-me ~ay match one
anoth ~. The extent of the ~atch (i.e., two or even
three of the rcpre~ ntations being identical) ~ay be
u~ d to determine the ~agnitude of the prize awarded.
WO93/14~2 PCT/US92/1~19
-18-
~d21 ~ 7352 In another example, game machine 10 may be installed in
a video rental store and s:eel~ 16, 18 and 20 may
include images of movie star~. The alignment of three
images of one particular star, for instance Humphrey
Bogart, may then be a wi~in~ combination entitling the
winner to a free rental of a ~ovie by that star, in this
case a movie starring Humphrey Bogart. In a variant of
this method, the wi nn; ~q combination does not require
that the ~e~~?ntations be of the ~ame type of product
or service; rather they merely mu~t be related in some
~L ~- ~otermined fashion. Thus, for example, were game
machine 10 to be in~talled in a fast food restaurant, a
winnin~ combination ~ay comprise aligned ~e~ --entations
of a hambul~e~, Lle~ fries and a soda, or orange
juice, coffee and an egg sandwich. Should game
machine 10 be installed in an automotive parts store, a
wi nn i ng combination in accordance with this variant of
operation may consist-of aligned le~L~-entations of cans
of oil, an oil filter and an oil can ~pout. Since
identical matcheF of product or service ~e~ ntations
per se are not n- ~r~ry, it will be apparent that the
representation of any particular product or service need
not appear on more than one wheel to operate the game
machine in accordance with this method. n~in, business
symbol~ optionally may be used as wild cards in forming
the wi nni nq combinations.
In yet another method, each play of the game
machine will result in a winnin~ combination and the
award of a prize. In accordance with this method, the
magnitude of the prize will depend upon whether the
winninq combination includes a match of two or more
product or service ~e~ entations. Thus, for example,
in game machine 10, for a combination in which each of
the ~cd~ct and/or service ~e~es ntations on wheel~ 16,
18 and 20 are different, the ~a~.o~. may win an award of
a pr~deter~ined discount on the ~.v~u~L or service
appearing on wheel 16. If the ~G~U L or ~ervice
representat1on on either of wheels 18 and 20 match the
WOg3/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19
--19-- .
CA21 1 73~2~ tation on wheel 16, the patron may be awarded
two tiJe~ or ~ome other multiple of the predetermined
di~count on the product or ~ervice AproAring on
wheel 16. Matc~in~ the product or service
~ 5 ,e~ ntations on wheels 18 and 20 may also result in
the award of, for example, twice the predetermined
~ co~nt on the product or service ~pp~Aring on
wheel 16, or a eimilar ~ o~t on the product or
cervice who~e ~e~L ~ -?ntation8 on w~ 18 and 20 match.
Further, matching the product or service representations
on all three of wh~ 16, 18 and 20 may result in an
award of that product or ~ervice for free or ~ome other
appL~iate award. Of cour~e, business symbols may also
be used as wild cards in accordance with this method in
order to ~nh~nce the v~G~ L~.ity for the patron to win a
larger award. In a variant of this method, game
machine 10 may include only a single wheel 16 and each
patron may win an award related to the- product or
service appearing on wheel 16 after a random rotation.
Preferably, the award will consist of the product or
~ervice free of charge or a predetermined ~ o~nt on
the ~L G~UCt or service.
As is well known, regardless of the specific
criteria used to determine wi nni n~ combinations, the
~,Gy.~m ~.,L~olling the random selection device of game
machine 10 can be ~et to el~D~L e that a given number of
prizes are awarded per a given number of plays and to
assure a given distribution of the prizes is achieved in
~oncert with the desires of the business promoting its
~ GdU~LS or fiervices. As an alternative to ensure that
prize~ are awarded regularly and in the desired value,
the game mac~; n- may be ~.Gy.~m~ed to form predetermined
W; nn i ng combination~ a mini~um nuDber of times in a
prescribed period if priz-~ have not been awarded or
have not been awarded in ~ufficient numbers during that
period by the random selection proc~ ~. Thus, for
exa~ple, ga~e machine 10 ~ay be ~lGy.~med to form a
ccrtain win~ing combination at lea~t once in a tte~.Ly-
W093/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19
-20-
C A ~ 1 1 7 3 5 2 four hour period to maintain patron interest. As to
e~ch patron the ~election would be random. As
~ empha~ized above, ~yl~mming game machine lO so that
the movement of wheels 16, 18 and 20 is infl~n~ by
~ 5 the operating software of the game machine is less
desirable than having the wheels move in a truly random
fashion.
The game mac~ine may be p~ Gy~ ammed in other
ways to form predetermined wi nni n~ combinations on a
less random ba~i~. Thu~, for example, it may be
de~irable to ~aximize the promotional effect of the game
by assuring that a winning combination is formed at a
certain time or within a certain time period each day
when the number of pa~lon_ in the establishment is at
its gre_test. Also, the game machine may be ~ Gylammed
to award a prize to a predetermined customer by forming
a winnin~ combination upon r~a~in~ a ~~elected game
code. Al~ gh th-~e- last two method~ for-~G~.Lrolling
the formation of winning combinations may appear to be
entirely random to the patron, the influence of the
operating ~oftware for the game mar~ire makes them less
th_n truly random. ~in, the~e are less preferred
mode~ of operation.
Once it is determined that the display shows a
wi nni ng combination, a signal is generated within game
machine lO instructing that a prize is to be awarded and
what that prize is. This ~ignal may be employed _o
di~pen~e a pre-~ e_G~ ded ~ou~on stored within the game
machine or to cause the printing within the game machine
of a ~G-.E-GI~ (see 60 in FIG. 6) redeemable for the
p~Gd~ or ~ervice won in the quantity indicated.
Alternatively, the signal may be directed to a
di~play 70 at a ~ervice counter (~ee FIG. 7) where
per~onnel at the counter may provide the required ~OU~G
or mark the actual ~v~u~- won ~o that it is free at the
~ck-out counter. The signal may also be u~ed to ~ound
bell~, flash lights, provide some audio me~sage or cause
a di~play on the video ~creen 14 of the game machine lO
WO93/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19
CA21 1 7352 -21-
to A~ O~ that the patron playing has won a prize and
any other information de~ired to be dis~eminated.
The prize~ awarded upon the formation of a
wi ~ni ng combination may be totally unrelated to the
products and/or services displayed on the game machine
and may include, for example, monetary awards, store
credits, CO!~-O..-- redeemable for any product or service
offered by a manufa~Lu~e~ or other business entity
promoting p~d~cts or cervices on the game machine,
~-o.~Y~- redeemable for a particular product or service
offered by a manufa~Lu e~ or other business entity not
proooting it~ ~.G~cts or ~ervice~ on the game machine,
etc. Preferably, the awarded prizes are products and/or
service~ which are related to the products or services
lS in the wi nn i ng combination. As u~ed herein, a prize
"related to" a ~Gd~ct or ~ervice A includes (l) one or
more of the ~Gduct or ervice A it~elf; (2) a Ai~o~
on one or more of the product or ~erv- ce A; (3) one or
more of a ~LV~UCt or ~ervice which is typically used in
combination or connection with the product or service A;
and (4) a Ai-co-~nt on on~ or more of a product or
~ervice which i~ typically u~ed in combination or
connection with ~uct or ~ervice A. Most preferably,
the prize~ are tho~e which are typically available in
the e~tabli_hment in which the game machine has been
in~talled. In the case where the game machine has been
in~talled in a mall, the prizes are preferably available
from one of the stores in the mall.
As noted at the out~et, the ~ ? of the
promotional game method and apparatus of the ~~-e~t
invention i~ to promote the products and/or services of
one or more busin~r~. To that end, it i8 contemplated
that the adverti~ing affect of game machine lO may be
increa~ed by di~playing images ,e~. E -enting products,
~ervice~ and/or bu~ine~s ~ymbols on game mac~ine lO in
addition to tho~e images which are di~played in
align~ent with refeL~ e loc~tion lS when wh~el~ 16, 18
and 20 have stopped moving. Thus, for example, video
WO93/14K2 PCT/US92~1~19
-22-
~A~21 1 7:3~:5~ screen 14 may simultaneously display three images on
each of wh~lc 16, 18 and 20 both as the wheels are
moving and when they have come to rest. Al~ot~gh only
one image on each of the wheels will be in alignment
~ 5 with ref e~ e~e location lS and, h~nce, only those images
will determine the existence of a wi~nin~ combination,
the di~play of the additional images will increase the
promotional affect of game machine lO because the
patron's attention will be foc~ A on the product
representation~, service ~e~ entation~ and/or business
symbols displayed in these additional images. The
promotional affect can be increased still further by
having the images which may be displayed on video
screen 14 outside of ref eL c~ -e location lS remain fixed
lS while whD~l~ 16, 18 and 20 are being randomly moved with
respect to one another. That is, only the images in
refeLe.,_~ location lS would appear to move with respect
to one another during play of the--game, while the
remaining image~ displayed on video 6creen 14 would
re~ain in place. Naturally, the increased promotional
affect of this latter embodiment would result from the
patron's attention being fo~-~A on the still images
during the entire random placement ~tep.
Between operation~ of the random selection
device, the video screen 14 of game machine lO may also
be u~ed to display a series of mes~ages promoting the
.v~_Ls or services involved in the game, other
infor~ation regarding the products or services,
establi~hment me~sages, i~At~cements to play the game and
li~ts of the prize~ awarded, and any other information
to be called to the patrons' attention. Such me~sages
may encompa~s a portion or the entirety of video
~cr-en 14, and may com~ence automatically a ~ ected
length of time after operation of the random selection
device ha~ terminated and the wheels have come to rest.
In a par~ l Arly preferred arrange~ent which ~h-nce~
the adver~i~i~g effect, a banner bearing an advertising
message may be ~crolled acro~s the top portion of video
WO93/1~K2 PCT/US92/l~l9
-23-
S'A 21 1:7:3:5~ 8creen 14 without Qh~ ing the combination of images
aligned in reference location 15. The banner will
appear a preselected period of time after play has
terminated, which period of time may be increased or
s decreased as desired. A particularly beneficial
advertising effect can be obtAin-~ by having the
advertising han~r appear promptly after the wheels have
stopped moving so that the playing patron will see the
banner and its advertisement while examining the images
on video screen 14 to determine whether he is a winner.
In an egually preferred arrangement, at a
pr-determined time after the w~ s have storpe~ moving,
the p~Gd~ct or service ~e~L~~~nted on one of the wheels
will automatically grow in size to encompass all or
substantially all of the video screen 14. For example,
five ~eConAC after the wheels have stopp~ moving (which
should provide the patrons with ~ufficient time to note
whether the combination of images for~ed on the screen
is a winner) the image on the first wheel may gr~Al~Ally
grow in size until it consume~ a majority of video
screen 14, obliterating the images of the other
~Gd~ct~, servicefi or syibols displayed on the screen.
When the image r~ac~-~ its maximum size, an audible
and/or visual me~sage may be generated to promote the
~L~Uct or service appearing on the screen. Once this
m -~~ge has been completed and the enlarged image has
been displayed for a ~L~ ected length of time, the
video screen may L~ L to displaying the combination of
images which resulted from the last play, or may display
other advertisements or message~.
In yet another highly preferred embodiment, a
moving video may be di~played on video screen 14 between
play~ of the game. These moving videos may be one or
- more advertisements, preferably for products or services
who~e reprQsentationC appear during play of the game, or
ray be a d~monstration on how the game is played, and
~ay encomp~s the entirety of vidco screen 14 or any
fraction thereof. The data for generating these moving
WOg3/l~K2 PCT/US92/1~19
-24-
~A 2 ~ 1 7 3~videos, which are much like the moving images typically
viewed on a television, may be Le_G~ed on a storage
disk in a known fashion for a C ~ by the operating
~L~yL~m of ga~e machine 10. As a result, the series of
moving videos in game machine 10 can be replaced with a
new series of such videos merely by removing one storage
disk from the game machine and inserting a new disk in
its place.
In order to keep game machine 10 simple to
operate by patrons and simple to maintain by generally
available store per~onnel, game machine 10 is not
provided with a keyboard. Since no keyboard is
available for il-DLLu~Ling game machine 10 to perform
certain operations, all such instructions are supplied
by inserting maint-~a~ce cards (not shown) into slot 22.
In all outward appearances, the maintenance cards are
the same as game cardg 32 and 38, except that the coded
information Arr~a-ing in bar code- cections 34 or
m_gnetic stripes 40 are not game card codes, but rather
are instruction codes L~3~ hle by the game machine.
Thus, one maintenance card may contain a code for
instructing g~me machine 10 to agsemble various
statistical data which may be obtained. Statistical
infor~ation regarding the patrons playing the game
machine, their frequency of play, prizes won, etc., may
be summarized in various tables to indicate, for
example: (1) the total number of plays during the
cribed period, i.e., J~ four hours, one week,
etc.; t2) the number of plays hour-by-hour; (3) prizes
won and the profile of the person~ who won; (4) the
number of prizes won and the total value of the prizes
awarded, etc. The code on the maintenA~e card may
further ingtruct g~e machine 10 to print this
gtatigtical data either on the printer within the game
~achine or at a remote location.
Another maint~n-ncQ card may include a code
for in~t~ucting the game machine to accept replays on
some or all of the g~me cards, such ag by reducing by
W093/14K2 PCT/US92/1~19
-25-
~ ~ 7 3 5~ one the num~er of times each of the game card codes have
been stored in the temporary memory of the game machine.
The code on yet another maint~nAnce card may
instruct the game machine to update and/or change the
5 ~L GYL ~m in the game machine. Thus, as a storage disk
cont~i ni ng new game parameters is placed in the game
machine lO, the information thereon will not be uploaded
into the operating memory of the ga~e machine until the
maint~nance card bearing the proper instruction code has
been inserted into the card reader via slot 22. The
~G~er m~int~n~n~e card will instruct the game machine
to replace the game par~meter~ in its operating memory
with the game parameters on the newly inserted disk.
Additional maintenanc~ card~ may be provided for
15 instructing the game machine to perform other tasks,
such as downloaAin~ or uploaAing card and play
information to a remote computer. In le~s preferred
emho~iments, all of the~e instruction~ may-be-provided
to game machine lO through the u~e of input device 26 or
~ome other keyboard temporarily connected to the game
machine.
Ga~es of thi~ nature may be employed u~efully
at the point of sale in retail establishments such as
supermarkets, fast food restaurants, auto parts stores,
home center~, toy stores and the like. The ability to
charge back to a ~pon~or, such a~ a manufa~u.e~ or
distributor, the availability of .eo~ded information
regarding the total number of prizes won and the total
value of prizes awarded as set forth above, the ~h~ence
of any need for ~pecial goods packaging or specially
distributed game cards, and the elimination of the need
to di~tribute a plethora of co~t~on- which will never be
redeemed, all coupled with the ability to easily and
quickly ch~nge promotion~ at will, provides a uniquely
eff-ctive promotional tool.
A~ will be readily appreciated, law~ bearing
on gambling and the lotteries limit certain types of
promotion~ involving an element of rh-nce, particularly
W0~3il4K2 PCT/US92/l~lg
-26-
~A~l J 7:35~ where the purchase of goods or services is required as a
~,e -~o,.dition for entry into the game. Games according
to the pre~ent invention can be, and are intenA~ to be,
operated in conformity with applicable laws. Such laws
ordinarily require that the patron or prospective patron
be allowed to enter any game of rhAnce without
purchasing anything or paying money to acquire an entry.
Ordinarily, such laws are ~atisfied if the patron has
the v~o L~.ity to acquire a game card without a
purchase.
Although the invention herein has been
de~cribed with reference to particular embodiments, it
is to be Ul.d~ ~ Lood that these embodiments are merely
illustrative of the principles and applications of the
~ nt invention. It is therefore to be understood
that numerous modifications may be made to the
illustr~tive emhoAi~ents and that other arrangements may
be devised without departing from the-spirit and scope
of the present invention as set forth in the ~Fpen
cl~
Tn~--~tri a 1 1~'~ ah; 1 i ty
The g~me methods and apparatus of the ~ E-ent
invention provide means for promoting goods and ~ervices
which are ~ore effective than previously-known
~hn i ques.
