Abstract:
A roulette-type game apparatus with a non-traditional style. A non-traditional resilient indicator is introduced in the game from above two independently rotating disks. The indicators are dropped through a delivery tube onto an elevated surface. The indicators bounce, from that surface and strike the enclosure, then finally strike the rotating disks which contain indicia and corresponding pockets. The indicators bounce around until they come to rest in a pocket, resulting in a randomly selected winning numbers, number combos, or progressive number. All bets are placed on a table. The game apparatus would have some similar bets as roulette with additional chances to win such as a dual indicator outcome similar to a two die outcome in craps, including a chance to win a progressive jackpot.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to games of chance and, more particularly, to a roulette game in which the layout is altered from the original game in that there is a plurality of indicia and corresponding pockets on the roulette wheel which consists of a plurality of independently rotating disks and a plurality of indicators released onto an elevated surface producing a more randomized result. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Roulette is a very popular game of chance played in casinos throughout the world. The roulette player enjoys a wide variety of betting options and the possibility of getting large payouts. Conventional roulette is played using a roulette wheel with indicia and pockets along the periphery of the wheel. The wheel is turned in one direction and the indicator ball is rolled in the opposite direction in a fixed channel surrounding the rotatable wheel. As the speed of the ball slows, the indicator ball comes to rest in one of the pockets and the indicia and color thereof is compared to the betting area to determine the various payouts. 
     One of the concerns with conventional roulette is the ability of the operator of the wheel to predetermine where the indicator ball will fall. This ability may favor either the player who is working with the operator to get a larger payout or the casino who wants to prevent players from winning the large payouts. It is desirable to randomize the indicated indicia. Mollo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,965, introduces air outputs in the roulette bowl to randomize the travel of the indicator ball. Jones, U.S. Patent Application 2001/0035605, seeks to improve the randomized selection of numbers by introducing a ball blower and a lottery-like numbered ball selector. Another way to randomize the travel of the indicator ball is to introduce the indicator ball from above the roulette wheel onto an elevated rotating surface. The indicator ball is made of a resilient material that will bounce off the rotating surface and strike the walls of an enclosure designed to direct the indicator ball toward the roulette wheel. An enclosure was used in Luehr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,921, to retain the indicators within the game while randomizing the result by sequentially turning over the complete game. Unlike Luehr, the present invention introduces the ball through the enclosure giving motion to the indicator by dropping it from above the spinning disks while the enclosure remains stationary. 
     In traditional roulette the pocket dividers rise above the top of the pocket acting as a paddle to strike the ball and change its direction. The present invention introduces wide bridge-like dividers that allow the indicator ball to roll from one disk to another. This wide surface also provides a way to redirect the motion of the ball when striking the surface from above. These dividers are tapered into each pocket providing an escape for the moving indicator. 
     Another draw for players is the large payout. In addition to randomizing the travel of the indicator ball, the present invention offers the player many additional betting opportunities and offers a larger payout. Caro, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,838, describes a roulette wheel consisting of two disks that may turn in opposite directions. This invention depends on the use of an alignment mechanism because there is only one ring of pockets in the game. That invention presented without an alignment mechanism would not provide an adequate result. By adding pockets and indicia on each rotatable carrier the final result is an increase in betting options and ultimately a higher payout for a particular bet. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a new game of chance using a plurality of enclosed disks and introducing a plurality of indicators from above the disks. In the preferred embodiment there are two disks. The disks are numbered one through fifty and colored red or black, alternating the numbers and colors between the two wheels, including a 0 and 00 which are green, as is customary in U.S. roulette wheels. The indicators settle in pockets representing a specific number and color, thus indicating the randomized result. The present invention includes a betting area and a progressive jackpot. The present invention provides the look of roulette and lottery and it increases the betting opportunities by adding craps-like play. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevated top front view of the roulette-type apparatus adjacent to the betting area. 
         FIG. 2  is an elevated top front view of the apparatus, showing the enclosure and the two disks. 
         FIG. 3  is an elevated top front view of the two disks both assembled and exploded. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded cross-sectional side view of the two-disk assembly. 
         FIG. 5  is an assembled cross-sectional side view of the two disks. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the betting area. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the two disks separated showing numbers in relation to colors. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a roulette-type game apparatus with a non-traditional roulette wheel arrangement  39  and a corresponding betting area  29 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the preferred embodiment of this game uses two disks  1  and  2 , two resilient indicator balls  3  and  4 , and a rotatable elevated circular surface  5 , centrally located.  FIG. 6  shows the wire frame ring  9  adjacent to the elevated surface  5 . This assembly is centrally located in the inner disk  2  and moves with the inner disk  2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the transparent enclosure  6  provides access  7  to manually rotate each of the two disks  1  and  2 . A transparent delivery tube  8  provides for the introduction of the indicator balls  3  and  4  and directs the indicator balls such that they bounce off of the elevated surface  5 . The elevated surface  5  is adjacent to a wire frame ring  9  that is accessible outside the enclosure  6 . The elevated surface  5  may be textured to further influence the speed and direction of the indicator balls  3  and  4 . 
     The preferred embodiment of the game has two indicator balls; the table ball  3  and the progressive ball  4 . The indicator balls  3  and  4  are identifiable as the table ball  3  or the progressive ball  4  by their distinct color. The indicator balls  3  and  4  are kept in play after bouncing from the elevated surface  5  by the enclosure  6  which, in its preferred embodiment is shaped like a pyramid to vary the distance from the discs to a striking surface. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14   a  and  14   b , the inner disk  2  is made up of three sections, the innermost area is a convex surface region  10  occupying 50% of the disk&#39;s surface at a 70° angle and encircled by an adjacent chamfered region  11  occupying 4% of the disk&#39;s surface at a 65° angle with colored numbered sections  12  laid out in this region  11 . Adjacent to the chamfered region  11  is the pocketed ring  13  along the periphery of the inner disk  2 . The pockets  14  are a depth of ½ the diameter of the indicator balls. The width of the pockets  14  on the inner disk  2  is 1¼ times the diameter of the indicator balls  3  and  4 . The length of the pockets  14  is 1½ times the diameter of the indicator balls  3  and  4 . The pocketed ring  13  includes wide bridge-like dividers  15  which act as ramps. The dividers  15  are tapered to provide a sloped surface  16  for the indicator balls  3  and  4  to escape the rotating pockets  14  more easily than in the common roulette arrangement. 
     The outer disk  1  is made up of three sections, an outer concave surface region  17  occupying 8% of the disk&#39;s surface at a 60° angle which encircles an adjacent chamfered region  18  occupying 4% of the disk&#39;s surface at a 65° angle with colored numbered sections  19  laid out in this region  18 . Adjacent to the chamfered region  18  is the pocketed ring  20  along the inside edge of the disk. The pockets  21  have a depth of ½ the diameter of the indicator balls  3  and  4 . The width of the pockets  21  is 1½ times the diameter of the indicator balls  3  and  4 . The length of the pockets  21  is 1¾ times the diameter of the indicator balls  3  and  4 . The pocketed ring  20  includes wide bridge-like dividers  22  acting as ramps. The dividers  22  are tapered to provide a sloped surface  23  for the balls to escape the pockets  21  more easily than the common roulette arrangement. 
     In the preferred embodiment, each disk  1  and  2  has twenty-five unique numbers  24  and one of the numbers “0” or “00”  25  making twenty-six total indicia per disk. The desired number placement on the disk is achieved by placing the sequential numbers every thirteen spaces. The numbers  24  are placed around the disks  1  and  2  in a counter clockwise manner, alternating the numbers between the two disks. The numbers  24  are placed on the two disks  1  and  2  with the bottom of the numbers  24  facing the pockets  14  and  21 . Each disc  1  and  2  has odd and even numbers  24 . The numbers  24  on the inner disk  2  are odd up to and including the number  25 . After  25 , the numbers are even. The outer disk  1  is even up to and including the number  24 . After  24 , the numbers beginning with  27  are odd. Color placement on the inner disk  2  is alternated between red  26  and black  27  except for the green  25  “0”. Color placement on the outer disk  1  is alternated between black  26  and red  27  except for the green  25  “00”. 
       FIGS. 6 ,  7 , and  8  present the assembly. The elevated surface  5  with the adjacent wire frame ring  9  is supported by a cylinder  40  extending from the inner disk  2 . The two disks  1  and  2  are supported by a pedestal foot  41  and centrally located axle  42 . The two disks  1  and  2  rotate on roller bearings  43 , the use of which is well known in the art. The enclosure  6 , best shown in  FIG. 2 , includes a delivery tube  8  which passes through a wall of the enclosure  6  and is positioned to allow the indicator balls  3  and  4  to strike the elevated surface  5 . The construction of the disks and assembly of the apparatus may be accomplished using methods well known in the art. 
     The present invention teaches a game that is different from traditional roulette. In the preferred method of play, a timed sequence expressed by colored lights  44  controls the pace of the game. The inner disk  2  is spun in either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction and the outer disk  1  is spun in the opposite direction. The indicator balls  3  and  4  are dropped in a timed sequence into the game from above through the delivery tube  8  where the indicator balls  3  and  4  are directed onto the elevated surface  5  extending from and rotating with the inner disk  2 . The indicator balls  3  and  4  are then directed to the walls of the enclosure  6  and finally strike one of the two rotating disks  1  and  2 . The bridge-like dividers  22  allow the balls  3  and  4  to travel across providing bridges from one disk to the next. The wide bridge-like dividers  22  provide a surface for deflecting the travel of the indicator balls  3  and  4  back toward the enclosure  6 . The indicator balls  3  and  4  may have a solid or liquid core to vary the action of the game. There is lots of randomized movement of the indicator balls  3  and  4  prior to settling into a pocket  14  or  21  indicating the randomized number  12  or  24  and color  26 ,  27 , or  25  selection. 
     The present invention has a betting area  29 . See  FIG. 10 . A player may bet on odd, even, red or black, big or small, come or go  31 . A combo bet of over or under 32 requires adding the indicated numbers shown by both the table ball  3  and the progressive ball  4 . A player may also bet on a combo number of 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 ( 33 ) or bet on two of the combo numbers at a time designated by the chip placement on a c, o, m, b, or o ( 33 ). A player may bet on a number combo spot, betting on four combo numbers at a time. A player may place a bet on the first twelve, second twelve, third twelve, forth twelve, first third, second third, or third  34 . A bet may also be placed on the O area indicating the table ball  3  or progressive ball  4 . A player may bet a field  35  which has three numbers per bet, a big field which has four numbers per bet, a landing strip  36  which has five numbers per bet, or a table corner  37  which has two numbers per bet. A player may make a table number bet by betting on a single number between 1 and 50 or the 0&#39;s  38 . Bets may also be made on both the table ball  3  and the progressive ball  4  at the same time by placing a bet on the number between the progressive number  30  and the table number  38 .