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Patent 2220916 Summary

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Claims and Abstract availability

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(12) Patent Application: (11) CA 2220916
(54) English Title: PROGRAM-CONTROLLED, MONEY-OPERATED ENTERTAINMENT AND GAMING APPARATUS
(54) French Title: MACHINE DE JEU ET DE DIVERTISSEMENT PAYANTE COMMANDEE PAR PROGRAMME
Status: Deemed Abandoned and Beyond the Period of Reinstatement - Pending Response to Notice of Disregarded Communication
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • G07F 17/32 (2006.01)
  • G07F 17/30 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • HUBER, ANTON (Germany)
  • NIEDERLEIN, HORST (Germany)
(73) Owners :
  • NSM AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
(71) Applicants :
  • NSM AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT (Germany)
(74) Agent:
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued:
(86) PCT Filing Date: 1996-05-31
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 1996-12-05
Examination requested: 2003-05-29
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/DE1996/000954
(87) International Publication Number: DE1996000954
(85) National Entry: 1997-11-12

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
195 20 086.1 (Germany) 1995-06-01

Abstracts

English Abstract


The invention concerns a programme-controlled, money-operated entertainment
and game apparatus which comprises a storage system (36, 38, 44),
advantageously in the form of an optical or magnetic disc. The MPEG process is
applied for data compression and/or decoding.


French Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil de jeu et de divertissement actionné par pièces de monnaie, commandé par programme. Cet appareil comprend un dispositif de mémorisation (36, 38, 44) se présentant avantageusement sous forme de disque optique ou magnétique. Pour la compression et/ou le décodage des données, on utilise le procédé MPEG.

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


Claims
1. A program-controlled, money-operated entertainment
and gaming apparatus having a storage device (36, 38, 44) in
which program information and data information are stored,
c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the MPEG decoding
and/or compression is employed for the processing of data.
2. An entertainment and gaming apparatus according to
claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the
storage device comprises a disk, in particular, a hard disk
(36).
3. An entertainment and gaming apparatus according to
claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t one or
several CDR's (44) are provided as data carriers in the
housing.
4. An entertainment and gaming apparatus according to
claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t a [sic]
at least one of the data carriers is a CD-ROM (44).
5. An entertainment and gaming apparatus according to
one of claims 1 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n
t h a t the storage device includes optical and/or magnetic
disks (36, 44).

6. Application of the entertainment and gaming apparatus
according to one of claims 1 to 5 as a jukebox.

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


~ CA 02220916 1997-11-12 --
. ;' E, r.:-~ t ~ TI- J ~ '3
~ rF~ANSLbTl~
WO 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
PROGRAM-CONTROLLED, MONEY-OPERATED
ENTERTAINMENT AND GAMING APPARATUS
Description
The invention relates to a program-controlled, money-
operated entertainment and gaming apparatus having a storagedevice, in particular, as a jukebox.
In order to provide a versatile and varied gaming
operation, DE 43 31 258 A1 proposed a program-controlled
entert~;nm~nt apparatus wherein are included a housing, a
display which is connected to or provided in the housing,
particularly a screen, operating elements associated with the
housing, a control unit provided in the housing and a storage
device associated with the housing, in which storage device
program information and data information are stored, This
program-controlled entertainment and gaming apparatus can be
used according to the respective program that is stored in the
storage device. In this manner, it can be designed entirely to
correspond to the requirements with regard to its function in
that, depending on the situation, new program information and
data information are read in and stored. A restoring process
of this type has the effect that the characteristics of the
gaming apparatus change, i. e., it is possible, e. g., to play

_ CA 02220916 1997-11-12
WO 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
a different game variant. However, by reading in an entirely
different program or game, it is also possible to completely
change the function of the gaming apparatus. If, e. g., the
gaming apparatus was first a money gaming apparatus, it can
subsequently be an apparatus for a game of skill, whatever is
desired. These entirely different apparatuses have the
hardware components of the apparatus in common such as housing,
display, operating elements, control unit and the storage
device with variable storage contents, with the different games
being stored in the storage device.
The storage unit of the known entert~;nm~nt and gaming
apparatus can comprise a hard disk. Alternatively or
additionally, one or several CD ROM's as data carriers can be
provided in the housing. It is advantageous for a rapid
changing of the CD ROM if a CD ROM magazine is provided for the
storing and reading of the data carriers. One or several
EPROM's can also be provided as storage device. The game
action can be integrated into the respective apparatus via
these EPROM's.
In an embodiment of the known entert~'nm~nt and gaming
apparatus, the apparatus is connected to a remote data
transmission line, with it being possible to store the received
-- 2 --

- ~ CA 02220916 1997-11-12
W0 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
data, for example, on the hard disk. Thus, the gaming
operation can be designed to be very flexible. The data can be
~x~h~nged, e. g., by the installer but alternatively also by
the user, i. e., the player. If the installer notices, for
example, that the gaming apparatus concerned is used
considerably less frequently, he/she merely needs to exchange
the stored game for another game, in which there seems to be a
greater interest, by means of a command and the corresponding
reading in of new gaming data.
According to the above, extensive program data and gaming
data are required for an entertainment and gaming apparatus of
this type because the apparatus is only defined with respect to
its use by means of the data received. In spite of the
enormous storage capacities, which have become possible in the
last few years, such data amounts still present a problem.
Because of the large data turnover, delays occur during the
transmission and storage of data as well as during the use of
the entertainment and gaming apparatuses, i. e., undesirable
delays occur. In addition, there is the problem of data
security.
To facilitate a versatile and interesting gaming
operation, DE 42 22 110 A1 has proposed a program-controlled

CA 02220916 1997-11-12
W0 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
entertainment and gaming apparatus having a playback unit for
a CDI disk on which the program information and data
information are stored. The respective use of the apparatus is
determined by the program which is permanently stored on the
CDI disk and, in this m~nn~r, the apparatus can be designed
specifically to meet the requirements with regard to its
function. The CDI disk makes it possible for the gaming action
to be run in an unexpectedly varied m~nne~. It is possible to
select different gaming functions interactively at top speeds
and to combine them with one another.
- 3a -

. - CA 02220916 1997-11-12
Furthermore, it is also possible when selecting a specific
function and the immediately following display to select a
further game function from this display. In this manner, jumps
are made from one level of the game into the next, with it
being permitted, of course, to jump from and into the dif~erent
levels in an alternating manner at any time. Thus, the gaming
possibilities are expanded remarkably compared to conventional
entert~inm~nt and gaming apparatuses. But the problems of the
large data volumes which must be processed occur in this
configuration as well.
From the field of computer applications it is known to
deposit data in storage media in a compressed and/or interlaced
manner to save storage space and to enhance data security. The
data must be decoded so that they can be read later. Depending
on the architecture of the storage organization and of the
software that is used, the storage data can be accessed in a
correspondingly rapid manner.
EP-A-O 623 799 discloses an interactive video system for
military or police firing training. In order to be able to
process realistic video scenes in real time, a data compression
is carried out by means of MPEG. Furthermore, US-A-4,799,677
discloses a video apparatus wherein the video data are
digitized and compressed.
- 4 - ALTERED PAGE

CA 02220916 1997-11-12
It is the object of the invention to propose an
entert~;nm~nt and gaming apparatus which allows a versatile and
varied as well as swift gaming operation at the same time.
According to the invention, this object is solved in a
program-controlled, money-operated entertainment and gaming
apparatus having the features of claim 1. Advantageous
modifications of the gaming apparatus according to the
invention are the subject of the dependent claims.
- 4a - ALTERED PAGE

CA 02220916 1997-11-12
A program-controlled, money-operated entertainment and
gaming apparatus according to the invention thus comprises a
storage device in which program information and data
information are stored. For the processing of data, the MPEG
decoding and/or compression is used.
The MPEG process (a standard defined by the Motion Picture
Expert Group1 for video and audio compression) makes it
possible to work with large storage volumes and high data
transfer rates. Here, the data can be interlaced just like in
telecommunications engineering.
Preferably, the storage device comprises a disk, in
particular, a hard disk, with magnetic or optical disks being
used.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
one or several CDR's, including CD-ROM's, CDI's, can be
provided as data carriers in the housing.
In this manner, the entertainment and gaming apparatus
according to the invention can be played not only in a very
varied manner but also with the necessary game speed. The
implementation of an apparatus for a different type of
application can be carried out with sufficient speed because of
1 Translator's note: The words "Motion Picture Expert
Group" are included in English in the original German
language text.
- 5 - ALTERED PAGE

. CA 02220916 1997-11-12
the use of the MPEG method.
- 5a - ALTERED PAGE

CA 02220916 1997-11-12
W0 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
The data exchanges can, of course, be carried out at the
respectively desired moment and are not tied to the gaming
operation, in principle, i. e., usually the data transmission
does not take place on-line.
It is advantageous for the program-controlled, money-
operated entertainment and gaming apparatus according to the
invention to be connected to a network, with a server being
provided for the control of the apparatus or of a network
associated with the apparatus.
The invention is explained in greater detail by way of the
description of an embodiment which follows and by way of the
drawing. The drawing shows:
Fig. 1 a schematic diagram illustrating the
fundamental design of a first embodiment of a
program-controlled, money-operated
entertainment and gaming apparatus according to
the invention.
The fundamental design of a program-controlled
entertainment and gaming apparatus according to the invention
is explained in the following by way of the embodiment of Fig.
1. The illustrated entertainment and gaming apparatus 2 is a
coin-operated stand-alone apparatus. It includes a housing,

CA 02220916 1997-11-12
W0 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
not shown, with the housing is connected a display 4 in the
form of a screen, e. g., a VGA monitor. Furthermore, operating
elements 6 in the form of an input keyboard are connected with
the housing. A coin processing unit 8 is provided for the
coin-operated gaming operation. Furthermore, there is
connected with the apparatus an acoustic indication and
entertainment unit comprising a stereo amplifier 10 and
loudspeakers 14 which are connected with the amplifier by way
of two connecting lines 12.
The control unit is accommodated on a system board 16
which may be a commercially available system card. It is
provided with a DVI card 18, with DVI "Digital Video
Interactive" being a trademark of the Intel Corporation, USA.
The DVI card is connected to the display 4 via a line 20. An
I/0 module 22 is connected to the operating elements 6 via a
line 24 and with the coin processing unit 8 via a line 26. An
audio card, a so-called sound board, 28 is connected with the
stereo amplifier 10 via a line 30.
A system board 16 is connected to a power supply unit 34
via a supply line 32. A storage device allocated to the
housing comprises a hard disk 36 and a floppy disk station 38
or floppy disks which are connected to the system board 16 via

. CA 02220916 1997-11-12
WO 96J38827 PCT/DE96/00954
lines 40 or 42. Optionally, a CD-ROM 44, illustrated in ~h~.~
lines, can be provided which is connected to the system board
16 via a line 46, also shown in dashed lines. The MPEG method
is employed for the data compression and the data decoding.
As can be seen from the above description of the design of
the apparatus, the entertainment and gaming apparatus is
suited, because it can combine graphics, freezing frames and
- 7a -

CA 02220916 1997-11-12
moving images and audio unit, for an extremely flexible
operation with the assistance of a single computer. For the
respectively desired device function or device variant, it is
merely required to read a corresponding program with associated
data into the storage device. The apparatus then functions in
accordance with this new function input.
If the described entertainment and gaming apparatus is
reconfigured accordingly, it can be operated in conjunction
with an external server or an external evaluation unit. The
server or the evaluation unit is comprised of a computer which
is operated by the installer; the computer initiates contact
with the computers of the individual gaming sites via a remote
data transmission connection and monitors the individual
apparatuses or assumes their evaluation. It is also possible
to transfer new software to the local hard disks of the server
itself.
A networked apparatus configuration with local server and
remote data transmission connection to an external server or an
external evaluation unit is also feasible.
- 8 - ALTERED PAGE

. CA 02220916 1997-11-12
W0 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
movill~ images dlld dUdi~ unlt, ~or an extremely l~exible
operation with the assistance of a single compute~-. For the
respectively desired device function or device,~ariant, it is
merely required to read a corresponding prog~ ~m with associated
data into the storage device. The appa ~ us then functions in
accordance with this new function i ~ t.
If the described entertain ~ t and gaming apparatus is
reconfigured accordingly, it ~ n be operated in conjunction
with an external server o ~ n external evaluation unit. The
server or the evaluatio ~unit is comprised of a computer which
is operated by the ~ taller; the computer initiates contact
with the computer~ o~ the individual gaming sites via a remote
data transmis~on connection and monitors the individual
apparatuses ~ r assumes their evaluation. It is also possible
to trans ~r new software to the local hard disks of the server
itsel ~
/ A networked apparatus configuration with local server and
mote data transmission connection to an external server or an
~ ...... ......a~ ~v~lu~;on lln~t i~ dl~ ra~ibla.
Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiments
that are shown and described. It also comprises other

. CA 02220916 1997-11-12
W0 96/38827 PCT/DE96/00954
configurations and partial combinations of the features that
are claimed, described and/or illustrated.
- 8a -

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

2024-08-01:As part of the Next Generation Patents (NGP) transition, the Canadian Patents Database (CPD) now contains a more detailed Event History, which replicates the Event Log of our new back-office solution.

Please note that "Inactive:" events refers to events no longer in use in our new back-office solution.

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Event History

Description Date
Inactive: IPC assigned 2018-07-19
Inactive: Adhoc Request Documented 2007-03-02
Application Not Reinstated by Deadline 2006-12-27
Inactive: Dead - No reply to s.30(2) Rules requisition 2006-12-27
Inactive: Abandoned - No reply to Office letter 2006-08-14
Deemed Abandoned - Failure to Respond to Maintenance Fee Notice 2006-05-31
Inactive: Office letter 2006-05-12
Revocation of Agent Requirements Determined Compliant 2006-05-12
Revocation of Agent Request 2006-04-11
Inactive: Abandoned - No reply to s.30(2) Rules requisition 2005-12-28
Inactive: S.30(2) Rules - Examiner requisition 2005-06-27
Letter Sent 2004-06-25
Reinstatement Requirements Deemed Compliant for All Abandonment Reasons 2004-06-07
Deemed Abandoned - Failure to Respond to Maintenance Fee Notice 2004-05-31
Letter Sent 2003-06-27
Request for Examination Requirements Determined Compliant 2003-05-29
All Requirements for Examination Determined Compliant 2003-05-29
Request for Examination Received 2003-05-29
Inactive: Cover page published 2002-01-18
Inactive: IPC removed 1999-12-31
Inactive: Correspondence - Transfer 1998-02-24
Inactive: IPC assigned 1998-02-18
Inactive: IPC assigned 1998-02-18
Classification Modified 1998-02-18
Inactive: First IPC assigned 1998-02-18
Inactive: Courtesy letter - Evidence 1998-02-10
Inactive: Notice - National entry - No RFE 1998-02-04
Application Received - PCT 1998-02-03
Inactive: Single transfer 1998-01-28
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 1996-12-05

Abandonment History

Abandonment Date Reason Reinstatement Date
2006-05-31
2004-05-31

Maintenance Fee

The last payment was received on 2005-05-19

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  • the late payment fee; or
  • additional fee to reverse deemed expiry.

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Please refer to the CIPO Patent Fees web page to see all current fee amounts.

Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
NSM AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Past Owners on Record
ANTON HUBER
HORST NIEDERLEIN
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Claims 1997-11-11 2 32
Abstract 1997-11-11 1 17
Description 1997-11-11 14 348
Drawings 1997-11-11 1 13
Reminder of maintenance fee due 1998-02-03 1 111
Notice of National Entry 1998-02-03 1 193
Courtesy - Certificate of registration (related document(s)) 1998-05-31 1 116
Reminder - Request for Examination 2003-03-02 1 120
Acknowledgement of Request for Examination 2003-06-26 1 173
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (Maintenance Fee) 2004-06-24 1 175
Notice of Reinstatement 2004-06-24 1 165
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (R30(2)) 2006-03-07 1 166
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (Maintenance Fee) 2006-07-25 1 175
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (Office letter) 2006-09-04 1 166
Second Notice: Maintenance Fee Reminder 2006-12-03 1 119
Notice: Maintenance Fee Reminder 2007-02-28 1 118
International preliminary examination report 1997-11-11 12 427
Correspondence 1998-02-09 1 31
PCT 1998-01-27 5 153
Fees 1998-05-28 1 43
Fees 2004-06-06 2 65
Correspondence 2006-04-10 1 20
Correspondence 2006-05-11 1 16
Correspondence 2006-05-11 2 28
Correspondence 2007-02-28 2 79