AN APPARATUS FOR USE WHEN FILLING-IN AND CONTROLLING GAME COUPONS

Abstract: The apparatus has a face (10) for application of a game coupon (11), said face being constructed as a membrane keyboard with a distribution of keys corresponding to the squares of a superimposed coupon. A coupon (11) placed on the face (10) of the apparatus is filled-in in ordinary manner with a writing implement, whereby the key under the square in question is activated. The coupon is filled-in with information in one and the same cycle, which is transferred to the apparatus, which, for entered coupons, can also perform calculations used in control of the coupons.

Description: An apparatus for use when filling-in and controlling game coupons The invention concerns an apparatus for filling-in and controlling game coupons, such as pools or lotto coupons having an arrangement of squares to be manually filled-in with the binary information filled-in/not filled-in. Devices are known for filling-in and controlling game coupons, capable of filling-in a coupon mechanically on the basis of a player's entered selections. Like a ter¬ minal, such devices may be connected to a central computer receiving and recording many persons' games from several terminals. Such devices can moreover control the game coupons and optionally print out results and calculate prizes. Stencils enabling the individual player to control his game coupons are known. These stencils may be caused to show the final result, and control of the game coupons is then performed quite simply by placing the stencil over the coupon, where squares with the final result are marked in a special manner. This facilitates the control, which, however, is still manual. DE 3444751 discloses an apparatus having a face divided into squares which correspond to the squares of a game coupon. The squares on a game coupon placed on the apparatus may be scanned optically to generate electrical signals which indicate for each square whether the square is filled-in or not. This apparatus has an optical sensor for each square and moreover requires a source of illu¬ mination, which, all things considered, is an unnecessa- rily complicated and expensive structure. The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by means of which a player can fill in his game coupons in ordinary manner, and which can receive and record the data with which the coupon is filled-in in a particularly simp- le manner. The apparatus must moreover be useful for con¬ trolling game coupons, and enable simple statistical cal¬ culations of the number of correct selections in the coupons simultaneously with the control. This object is obtained with an apparatus as defined in claim 1. When the game coupon has been placed on the apparatus face adapted for this, the coupon is filled-in in ordinary manner with a writing implement and with the face of the apparatus serving as a writing surface. For each of the squares of the coupon which is filled-in, the corresponding pressure sensitive square disposed below the square of the coupon is activated. The game coupons are hereby entered and stored in the apparatus in the same cycle as the coupon is filled-in. Information on coupons already filled-in may be transfer¬ red to the apparatus in the same manner, a coupon being placed on the face of the appartus, and printing or writing being performed with a writing implement on all squares filled-in. The pressure sensitive squares of the apparatus are a simpler, cheaper as well as more compact and robust con¬ struction than the one described in DE 3444751. If the apparatus is equipped with a memory and a calcu¬ lating unit, as stated in claims 2 and 3, it is possible to perform calculations, preferably simple, statistical calculations of the stored information from coupons filled-in. When the result of the coupon in question is known, the "correct" coupon is entered in the same manner in the apparatus, which can then control entered coupons with a view to their result and the prize they might give. The invention will be described more fully below with reference to the drawing which shows a preferred embodi¬ ment of the apparatus. The apparatus has a face 10 for application of a game coupon 11 having an arrangement of squares, each of which being adapted to carry the binary information filled- in/not filled-in. Similarly, also the face 10 has an arrangement of squares which, when the game coupon 11 is disposed on the face 10, coincide with the squares of the game coupon, so that for each of the squares of the game coupon a square on the face 10 is disposed directly below the square of the game coupon. An edge 12 or a plurality of projections ensure that an applied coupon is positioned properly so that its squares concide with the squares of the apparatus. Each of the squares on the face 10 of the apparatus is adapted to be actuated by pressure to generate electrical signals, which makes it possible to identify the actuated square, and each square is therefore constructed as a pressure sensitive membrane keyboard generating these sig¬ nals in a known manner. Membrane keyboards of a known structure are suitable for this purpose, since such a keyboard has a sufficiently plane and firm surface which may be used as a writing surface when filling-in the coupon with a writing implement. An arrangement of squares like on the game coupon 11 is graphically indicated on the apparatus face 10 for application of a game coupon, but this division is superflous and may be replaced by other texts, such as e.g. operating instructions. When game coupons have thus been filled-in, or the con- tents of coupons already filled-in have been "copied" to the apparatus, the information thus transferred is stored in a memory in the apparatus. Finally, the coupon with the result is transferred to the apparatus in a similar manner in that the apparatus is pread usted to receive the final information with which the game coupons are to be compared. The apparatus has a calculating circuit preprogrammed to perform such compa- risons and simple calculations, such as e.g. the number of correct selections in each row, the highest number of cor¬ rect selections in any of the rows as well as any other statistical calculations of interest to the user. The apparatus has a display 13 for displaying the results of such calculations. A keyboard 14 is used for entries con¬ cerning the number of the coupon, the number of the player as well as for control of the calculations the apparatus can perform. The apparatus of the invention has here been described for use in connection with filling-in and control of game coupons, but the invention is generally useful in connec¬ tion with preprinted forms or tables where each square just contains the binary information filled-in/not filled- in.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. An apparatus for use when manually filling-in and controlling game coupons (11) with an arrangement of squares, each of which being adapted to carry the binary information filled-in/not filled-in, c h a r a c t e r i ¬ z e d in that the apparatus has a face (10) for appli¬ cation of a game coupon (11) and with extent corresponding to it, said face corresponding to the squares of the game coupon being divided into squares adapted to be actuated by pressure to generate electrical signals which enable identification of actuated squares. 2. An apparatus according claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i ¬ z e d in by further including a memory for storing infor¬ mation corresponding to the generated electrical signals. 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d by further including a calculating unit adapted to perform calculations on the basis of the stored infor¬ mation as well as means (13) for displaying results of the calculations.

Inventors: JENSEN JOHN, JENSEN, JOHN
Applicants: JENSEN JOHN, JENSEN, JOHN
Application year: 1990
Main classification: G07C15
IPC codes: A63F3, A63F9, G06F3, G07C15